After the Steelers released cornerback Darius Slay, both the Bills and the Eagles made waiver claims for the balance of his contract. The Bills had priority, but Slay has decided not to report.
If the Eagles had secured the Slay contract on waivers, would Slay have shown up?
Via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com, Slay would not commit as to whether he would have reported to the Eagles.
Slay’s comments were made on the Speakeasy podcast.
“Mostly, it’s a family decision kind of to it,” Slay said, per Getzenberg. “So, we just see how it goes though. But I’m going to take it day by day.”
Many in league circles think Slay wants to make his way back to the Eagles. If the Bills release Slay, he’ll go through waivers again. If he clears waivers, he can sign with any team, at any time.
The other wrinkle relates to the ability of the Bills to play hardball with Slay. If Slay fails to report, a portion of his $8.745 million signing bonus could be recovered by the Bills, even though the Bills paid none of it.
It’s a simple proposition. The signing bonus represents advance compensation for future services. Failing to provide those services exposes the player to losing some of that compensation.
Earlier this week, the Bills thought they had acquired a veteran defender in cornerback Darius Slay.
But instead of heading to Buffalo after his release from Pittsburgh, Slay has not reported with his agent noting that the cornerback is contemplating his future in football — though Slay may just want to return to Philadelphia.
But the Bills also lost cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram, as he was claimed by the Texans when the club waived him to add Slay. McDermott confirmed the club wanted him back on the practice squad.
“Yeah, I mean it’s unfortunate that that unfolded and went down the way it did,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said in his Friday press conference, via Joe Buscaglia of TheAthletic.com. “You know, I’m a huge Ja’Marcus Ingram fan and will always be. So I’m always gonna be in his corner and want the best for him. So that’s that’s really where my mind is right now, and you know, I’m getting myself ready to coach this game.”
Asked if he’s still open to having Slay play for the Bills, McDermott deflected.
“I’m really gonna focus on our team right now,” McDermott said. “So, focus on our team and coaching this game in a couple of days here. And I wish him the best, him and his family.”
In 10 games for the Steelers this season, Slay recorded 36 total tackles with three passes defensed and a fumble recovery.
The Bengals are set to have wide receiver Tee Higgins back in the lineup this weekend.
Higgins told reporters on Friday that he has cleared concussion protocol and will be in the lineup against the Bills as the Bengals try for their second straight victory. Higgins was injured in Week 12’s loss to the Patriots.
Getting Higgins back means the Bengals will have Higgins, quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase in the lineup at the same time for the first time since Week 2.
The Bengals improved to 4-8 with last week’s win over the Ravens and there’s some hope that they could find their way into the playoff hunt by replicating last season’s late winning streak. It’s a tall task, but having all hands on deck on offense should help the cause.
The Bills will not have two of their key defensive players when they take on the Bengals this weekend.
Via Chris Brown of the team’s website, head coach Sean McDermott announced in his weekly interview with WGR 550 that defensive end Joey Bosa and linebacker Terrel Bernard have been ruled out for Week 14.
Bosa is dealing with hamstring and wrist injuries. Bernard has an elbow injury. Neither Bosa nor Bernard has practiced this week.
Receiver Joshua Palmer (knee/ankle) will be listed as doubtful.
Left tackle Dion Dawkins has cleared concussion protocol and is expected to play. Right tackle Spencer Brown’s status will be determined later on Friday, as he’s been limited this week with a shoulder injury.
Defensive end AJ Epenesa (foot) was added to the injury report on Thursday as a non-participant, but is set to practice on Friday and should be OK to play against Cincinnati.
Buffalo’s full final injury report of the week will be released later on Friday.
The Texans placed defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr. on injured reserve on Thursday.
Aaron Wilson of KPRC reports that Settle will undergo season-ending foot surgery.
In 12 games, Settle totaled 15 tackles, a sack and three passes defensed.
The Texans claimed cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram off waivers from the Bills in a corresponding move.
Starting cornerback Kamari Lassiter (foot) has missed both days of practice this week.
Ingram signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2022, and he played seven games for Buffalo this season. Ingram has six tackles this season and 33 for his career. He also has totaled a sack, four passes defensed and two interceptions in his four-year career.
