Darius Slay looked forward to personal moment as Steelers DBs gathered Thursday

DeShon Elliott was to be the host for an NFL opening watch party Thursday evening. The guest list included the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ corps of defensive backs.

Amidst the mid-week opportunity for one of the team’s highest-profile and most important position groups to relax and bond will be a personal moment for Darius Slay.

But only a moment.

Slay, a 13th-year NFL cornerback, surely figured to have had his eyes glued to the screen more than most of his contemporaries before Thursday’s kickoff between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. That’s because when the Eagles unveil their Super Bowl LIX championship banner, Slay will feel the pride of knowing he was part of it.

“When I see the banner going down, I low-key already got my (Super Bowl) ring ready just to put on my finger,” Slay said after Thursday’s practice. “I might shed a little tear.

“And then I’m back to reality.”

Steelers CB Darius Slay on how even after 13 NFL season the opening game always is exciting to take part in pic.twitter.com/4RqwKNpgL1

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) September 4, 2025

Slay’s reality now is with the Steelers, the team he signed a one-year, $10 million contract with in March after he’d spent the past five seasons with the Eagles.

Over that span, Slay was three times names to the Pro Bowl roster and twice played in Super Bowls.

“I’m thankful for where I’m at today,” slay said as he wore a Steelers T-shirt, “but of course as a player that contributed to help with that Super Bowl, it’d be nice to see (the championship banner) just fall down (in person) — and then I’ll just magically appear back here, you know what I am saying?

“But we know that’s not possible. But man, I’m just so thankful for that organization, as the organization helped me win a championship. They put me in a lot of great positions to be successful, so I’m always going to be thankful for that. And I still don’t like the Cowboys, either, so it’s still cool (to watch Thursday night).”

Thursday’s party at Elliott’s home, Slay said, is further evidence the Steelers’ remade secondary is jelling. Elliott — who joined the team last year — Joey Porter Jr., the injured Cory Trice and special-teamers James Pierre and Miles Killebrew are holdovers who have welcomed Slay, Jalen Ramsey, Juan Thornhill, Chuck Clark and Brandin Echols this season.

The mostly veteran group is high on talent and resume. Can it develop the requisite chemistry?

“It’s a bunch of guys who have fun and generally like being around each other,” Slay said. “That’s the big part about it, the fact that the guys like to hang. We get to know each other a lot better. I’m always the guy that (sees the sport as) bigger than football. I’m more about trying to build a bond. I like to extend my family. They are a great group of men, so I’m appreciative of those guys. I’m looking forward to just sharing the field with them, too.”