The Pittsburgh Steelers head into Week 15 with a 10-3 record and a chance to clinch the playoffs. They can control their own destiny if they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in any fashion, but they'll have to face a tough Eagles defense who leads the NFL in yards allowed per game with 284.2 yards. Their defense also sits right above Pittsburgh, giving up an average of 18 points per game. It'll be a tough battle of which offense can get past these tough defenses and which defense can make the most plays. Leading up to this matchup, a star Eagles player revealed how he almost ended up in Pittsburgh last season.
Eagles cornerback Darius Slay talked about the upcoming matchup against the Steelers in his Big Play Slay podcast. Before he got into the game itself, Slay revealed how close he was to becoming a Steeler before the 2023 season.
"What's so crazy is I almost was going to them [Pittsburgh] too," Slay shared. "They hit me up too. TJ texted me... Cam Heyward texted me and talked about coming in there. Before I ever get to make the decision, I think they signed Pat [Peterson] at the time, so they kind of chilled out for a minute, but yeah, I was almost a Pittsburgh Steeler."
TJ Watt and Cameron Heyward trying to recruit Slay showcases how interested they were in him joining the team. Of course, they're not General Manager Omar Khan, who ended up signing Patrick Peterson ahead of the 2023 season to add to the cornerback room.
Slay was first drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2013 before being traded to the Eagles in 2020. Slay is a six-time Pro Bowler and has recorded 28 interceptions and 608 total tackles in his 12 seasons in the NFL. Talks of a release or trade for Slay heated up in the 2023 offseason as the Eagles were dealing with salary cap issues and Slay was owed quite a bit of money the next season. The Eagles allowed Slay to seek a trade, ultimately when Watt and Heyward reached out to recruit him, but Slay ended up restructuring his contract and staying with the Eagles.
There's no known evidence that Khan was even looking at Slay when this news broke, but it's interesting to hear Slay say this now and think of what could've been. Slay would've been a great veteran alongside Minkah Fitzpatrick in the secondary. The Steelers only had Peterson for one season before releasing him in March of 2024.
Slay, like many other NFL players, have voiced only positive words about Head Coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin is arguably one of the top coaches players want to play for in the NFL if they had the choice. Slay talked about Tomlin a bit in his podcast.
"Mike Tomlin man, he a damn great coach," Slay said. "I think he's top three coach ever."
Last time the Steelers played the Eagles was in the 2022 season, the Eagles winning 35-13. Slay only recorded two tackles and a pass deflection that game, so it'll be interesting what he can do against an improved Steelers offense this time around.
Steelers Will Likely Be Without Top Receiver George Pickens
Tomlin told reporters Tuesday leading up to the Eagles matchup that if they needed to know right now, George Pickens would likely not play against the Eagles. Pickens' injury is apparently worse than expected and there's a possibility of missing multiple games. Pickens is a key weapon on this offense and he is much needed in a brutal stretch of three games in 11 days.
The Eagles' defense will be tough on their home field, but Russell Wilson has improved this offense tremendously and Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren have been a great running back duo. Wilson got it done without Pickens in Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns and will face that challenge again against a tougher defense.
