How Close Eagles Were To Darius Slay Reunion

The Philadelphia Eagles were caught up in rumors all day on Wednesday involving old friend Darius Slay.

He was available after being waived by the Pittsburgh Steelers and reports pointed to “mutual interest’ on both sides, beginning with NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark.

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Unfortunately, the Eagles were unable to get him as the Buffalo Bills swooped in and claimed him off waivers. It sounds like the rumors had legs, though. There was genuine interest in a reunion and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Eagles also put in a waiver claim on Slay, like the Bills.

The Eagles came close

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas (80) catches a pass as Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Darius Slay (23) defends in the third quarter of the NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Oct. 16, 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"A near reunion: The Eagles also put in a claim for CB Darius Slay, source said, hoping for their former starting CB to return to Philly. But Buffalo had priority and got him," Rapoport wrote on X.

The waiver order is determined by the NFL standings after the first three weeks of the regular season. Priority is based on the standings in reverse order. At this time, the Eagles have the eighth-best record in the NFL, and the Bills have the 12th-best record in the NFL. So, Buffalo was just a couple of places ahead of the Eagles in the waiver order.

Another thing that should stand out to Eagles fans is that Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer was asked if there's a chance that Slay "refuses" to play for Buffalo.

"Believe there is a possibility," McLane responded.

That would be pretty surprising to see, but it is an interesting thought, at least. All that can be confirmed at this point is that there was genuine interest in a reunion, as shown by the Eagles' willingness to place a waiver claim on the six-time Pro Bowler.

The idea made a lot of sense. The Eagles' No. 2 cornerback spot has been up in the air all season to the point and Philadelphia lost one of the reinforcements it brought in with Jaire Alexander. Unfortunately, Slay is heading to Buffalo instead of Philadelphia.

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