The Pittsburgh Steelers faced a crisis at cornerback, and didn’t wait around. Their latest roster moves brought former Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. to the Steelers’ practice squad. While this shores up the cornerback room, it bodes ill for a former Super Bowl champ who had just found his groove in Steel City: Darius Slay.

One helmet-to-helmet collision. That’s all it took. Slay went down with a concussion in Week 10 against the Chargers, his head meeting teammate Kyle Dugger’s helmet and sending him straight to the concussion protocol. Now, as Slay navigates the protocol, likely missing a few weeks, NFL analyst Jack Sperry sees the writing on the wall.

“With the Steelers finding their new CB2 in Asante Samuel Jr. & the Eagles losing Jaire Alexander for the rest of the season, it wouldn’t shock me if at some point Darius Slay asks for his release from PIT & finishes his season in Philly where he helped win a title last year,” Sperry wrote on X.

Slay had won Super Bowl LIX with the Philadelphia Eagles at the start of the year. Now, with the Eagles’ cornerback depth threatened, the urgency creates an opening. A familiar home calling Slay back.

To be fair, Slay’s not exactly in a position to fight for his spot right now. Concussion protocol doesn’t care about your resume or your championship ring. Meanwhile, Samuel Jr. gets healthy reps, builds chemistry with the secondary, and makes it harder for Slay to reclaim CB2 duties once he’s cleared.

The math is brutal for a 34-year-old cornerback. Slay spent five years in Philly, earned three Pro Bowl nods with them, wore the captain’s patch, and hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in February. Those memories still feel fresh. Pittsburgh? He’s barely unpacked.

Asante Samuel Jr., meanwhile, isn’t just a warm body filling roster space. The 26-year-old underwent spinal fusion surgery in the offseason and came back raring to go. The Steelers’ comfort level spiked because their own team neurosurgeon, Dr. David Okonkwo, performed the procedure. That insider knowledge matters when you’re betting on a player coming back from spine surgery.

And Samuel can play. His 176 career tackles and six interceptions across 50 games show he’s reliable when he’s healthy. That kind of instinct and playmaking doesn’t disappear. Pittsburgh needed bodies desperately. Jalen Ramsey shifted to free safety after injuries decimated that position, leaving the cornerback room dangerously thin. Just James Pierre, Brandin Echols, and Joey Porter Jr. remained before Samuel arrived.

The timing creates an uncomfortable reality. Slay heals while Samuel proves himself. Every practice rep Samuel takes makes Slay’s return more complicated. Championship windows close fast at 34. But signing Asante Samuel Jr. wasn’t the only shake-up the Steelers made to their roster. While Slay navigates his grim future in Pittsburgh, we also look at the other moves Mike Tomlin has made recently.

Mike Tomlin shuffles the deck beyond the cornerback

Pittsburgh’s roster moves extended well beyond the secondary crisis. After landing on the IR back in August, the organization has finally activated rookie quarterback Will Howard. It’s his first appearance on the active roster all season. Behind veteran starter Aaron Rodgers and second-string QB Mason Rudolph, Howard now provides developmental depth.

Running back Trey Sermon was waived to make room. He’d been elevated from the practice squad primarily for special teams work against the Chargers. Defensive back Darrick Forrest also departed, released from the practice squad as the Steelers trimmed personnel.

If these shake-ups weren’t enough, Coach Tomlin also made swaps at safety. They released former Super Bowl champ Juan Thornhill. And in his place, they signed UDFA Sebastian Castro.

These moves show Mike Tomlin’s calculated approach during November’s crucial stretch. Whether that calculation includes letting Slay walk if he requests it? That’s the question of handing over Pittsburgh’s secondary. A veteran cornerback waits in protocol. His replacement waits for a chance to make splashes. And Philly sits waiting, a championship home beckoning.