Darius Slay saw his Steelers tenure come to an end this week, but he did not reach free agency. The Bills put in a waiver claim to add him for the remainder of the season. 
If not for that, a Philadelphia reunion could have been in store. The Eagles also put in a waiver claim for Slay, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Both teams sport a record of 8-4, but the Bills had the higher waiver priority.
In the event the Eagles’ bid had been successful, Slay would have been able to rejoin his former team for the stretch run. The 34-year-old spent five seasons (2020-24) in Philadelphia, collecting three of his six career Pro Bowl nods during that time. After one year playing alongside Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, Slay was released this past offseason. That set up a one-year, $10MM Steelers pact which did not work out as hoped.
Expectations will be low in Slay’s case upon arrival in Buffalo, and the same no doubt would have been true had he returned to Philadelphia. The former All-Pro has not enjoyed a productive 2025 season, and Pittsburgh’s Asante Samuel Jr. signing prompted his exit. Nevertheless, Slay would have given the Eagles a familiar face in the secondary, one which has already seen several in-season changes take place.
General manager Howie Roseman was busy on the trade front leading up to last month’s deadline. That included deals with the Jets for Michael Carter II and with the Ravens for Jaire Alexander. The latter has since been moved to the reserve/retired list, so a Slay reunion would have allowed for him to occupy a depth corner role on the perimeter. Instead, Slay will spend the remainder of what is likely to be his final NFL season with the Bills.
Meanwhile, the Eagles will move forward with Mitchell, DeJean and Adoree’ Jackson as key figures in the secondary. As the team looks to rebound from two straight losses, it will do so without late-season reinforcements.