Darius Slay claimed on waivers by Buffalo

[Bockeye]

After Slay’s comments, I wouldn’t even want him out there on the field.  He would bring zero passion and probably the same effort.  Let him sit on the DNR and cry.  

 

Beane needs to go steal a CB from someone else’s practice squad. 

[stlbills13]

I know it's bad business for player and agent relationships but I'd let Slay brew for a while on this one. Not saying he can't eventually get his way but make him sit another week or two.

 

The one thing I don't buy is "teams are not allowed to talk to the player or agent during the waiver period". Tampering happens hourly in the NFL and all sports. There are ways around that. I don't mind getting Slay but the whole idea that we had no idea what would happen is BS 

[SoonerBillsFan]

How about this... make a call and see if ol' Howie is willing to cut somone that helps us, then cut slay to sign with Philly.  Not sure how that might work,but it's a thought 

[Blank Stare]

I watched that Speakeasy segment, and, honestly, after hearing from the man himself, I’ve got no problem with any of this. 
 

Bills took a shot. He’s older. Has a family. If he plays, prefers familiarity. Understandable. Whatever. 
 

I’ve also got no problem with losing Ingram for him. Cost of doing business. 

[BuffaloBillyG]

7 minutes ago, stlbills13 said:

I know it's bad business for player and agent relationships but I'd let Slay brew for a while on this one. Not saying he can't eventually get his way but make him sit another week or two.

 

The one thing I don't buy is "teams are not allowed to talk to the player or agent during the waiver period". Tampering happens hourly in the NFL and all sports. There are ways around that. I don't mind getting Slay but the whole idea that we had no idea what would happen is BS 

Just curious, would you feel the same had Beane tampered, been caught and had the Bills punished by being losing day 1 or day 2 draft picks like what happened with Miami a couple years back? 

 

Really, if there was any "tampering" it should have come from Slay or his agent leaking that he would really only go to a certain place or retire. Rosenhaus misplayed this more than anyone and it's going to cost his client game checks.

[stlbills13]

Just now, BuffaloBillyG said:

Just curious, would you feel the same had Beane tampered, been caught and had the Bills punished by being losing day 1 or day 2 draft picks like what happened with Miami a couple years back? 

 

Really, if there was any "tampering" it should have come from Slay or his agent leaking that he would really only go to a certain place or retire. Rosenhaus misplayed this more than anyone and it's going to cost his client game checks.

 

Anything to keep Beane from drafting in the 3rd round 😁

[Tanoros]

7 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

The O-line, when healthy is bad at pass protection.  A nonmobile QB back there would be leading the league in sacks every season. 

 

Also, it's impossible to claim "losing Hoecht (a guy who has been a Bill for 64 snaps) completely changes what the Defense looks like".  Who knows how they would have looked had he not been busted for juicing and played the whole season to this point?  

I think it’s important to look at what the roster actually was supposed to be this season, especially in the trenches, rather than judging strictly by what it became after injuries.

 

On the D-line:

We only got 64 snaps of Hoecht, but those snaps made it very clear why Beane signed him. He was explosive, powerful, and disruptive, exactly the kind of presence we’ve been missing opposite Bosa. Adding a healthy Hoecht to Bosa and an Oliver who came out red-hot in Week 1 had the real potential to give us one of the strongest defensive fronts we’ve fielded in years.

 

No, we can’t say for certain what the line would have looked like over a full season, but it’s absolutely fair to say losing Hoecht changed the makeup of the defense. His early play suggested he was going to be a major upgrade against the run and a boost to the pass rush. Pair that with Bosa’s talent and Oliver’s fast start, and Beane clearly had built this line to be a strength.

 

If anything, the problem wasn’t the plan, it’s that injuries wiped out the plan before it had a chance to take shape.

 

On the O-line:

The idea that this offensive line is “bad at pass protection” doesn’t match the actual data. According to SI’s evaluation of the 2024 season,  with the exact same five starters we brought into 2025, the Bills:

 

• allowed just 14 sacks, the fewest in the NFL

• ranked among the top pass-blocking units by several analytic measures

• posted one of the league’s better pass-block win rates

• and received strong individual protection grades across all five positions

 

These aren’t subjective observations, they’re objective league-wide comparisons. Buffalo’s O-line wasn’t just “fine” in pass protection last year; it was one of the most efficient and consistent lines in the league.

 

So while they are indeed stronger in run blocking, calling them “bad at pass protection” simply doesn’t align with reality. It’s an emotional reaction, not a fact-based one.

 

Big picture:

Both the O-line and D-line were areas where Beane made deliberate, well constructed moves this offseason and before building the O-line. The offensive line has performed at a legitimately high level with these same five starters, and the defensive line had the pieces to be a true strength before injuries derailed it, especially with Hoecht flashing so much in his brief window.

[BuffaloBillyG]

3 minutes ago, stlbills13 said:

 

Anything to keep Beane from drafting in the 3rd round 😁

And if Beane tampered, there's a chance that 3rd round pick may have been his first selection of the draft. A draft we need to have picks to fill in the many holes we do have and will be opened after the year. 

 

Tampering for a washed up CB really wasn't worth the risk. 

[MPL]

The worst part is that Slay has to remain on the active roster, so the Bills essentially have a 52 man roster now. 

[DrDawkinstein]

I dont really buy that keeping his rights will harm the Bills' relationships with players and agents.

 

We played within the rules of the system. We didnt even bend let alone break a rule.

 

If the players/agents want to feel some type of way about it, take it up with the NFLPA and CBA.

[DapperCam]

1 minute ago, MPL said:

The worst part is that Slay has to remain on the active roster, so the Bills essentially have a 52 man roster now. 

I'm pretty sure the Bills can put him on the "Reserve/Did Not Report" list, which makes it so he doesn't count as a roster spot and his cap doesn't count either.

[Goin Breakdown]

3 minutes ago, MPL said:

The worst part is that Slay has to remain on the active roster, so the Bills essentially have a 52 man roster now. 

Thats why I'd think they'll waive him. I'm wondering if he even plays much if he was ok with being here. Maybe in a pinch?  

[SCBills]

Ok… **** this guy. 
 

Let him stay home.
 

Cut him on December 29th. 
 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by SCBills

[wjag]

If anybody's image is tarnished, in my mind it's  Drew Rosenhaus.  Aren't agents supposed to understand their clients and the playing field?  He clearly misplayed this whole thing.

[DrDawkinstein]

13 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

Just curious, would you feel the same had Beane tampered, been caught and had the Bills punished by being losing day 1 or day 2 draft picks like what happened with Miami a couple years back? 

 

Really, if there was any "tampering" it should have come from Slay or his agent leaking that he would really only go to a certain place or retire. Rosenhaus misplayed this more than anyone and it's going to cost his client game checks.

 

Totally different levels of tampering by Miami. I dont think Beane should've done anything outside of the rules, but I also think that type of thing does happen more often than an OWNER calling a HEAD COACH to all meet FACE-TO-FACE with a PLAYER under contract with a different team regarding a way to push him off his current team, join the ownership ranks, and then come back as player/owner.

 

A GM talking to an agent about a number of players and then casually asking "So I take it your guy Slay is looking to get his way back to Philly?" without even mentioning Buffalo being interested could probably fly under all the radar.

[Simon]

6 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

I dont really buy that keeping his rights will harm the Bills' relationships with players and agents.

 

We played within the rules of the system. We didnt even bend let alone break a rule.

 

If the players/agents want to feel some type of way about it, take it up with the NFLPA and CBA.

 

Conversely, I wonder if it might even grease the skids a little bit with other GM's around the league who are more than happy with Beane to see him messing with Roseman and the Eagles.

[SectionC3]

I’m done with even getting a chit from Rosenhaus and letting slay go now *if* there’s a wink from Roseman that slay does not under any circumstances play against us at any point this year.  Otherwise he can rot after running his mouth yesterday. We want volunteers,  not hostages, but keep the complaints in house.  

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

19 minutes ago, MPL said:

The worst part is that Slay has to remain on the active roster, so the Bills essentially have a 52 man roster now. 

He’ll get moved to the did not report list 

6 minutes ago, SectionC3 said:

I’m done with even getting a chit from Rosenhaus and letting slay go now *if* there’s a wink from Roseman that slay does not under any circumstances play against us at any point this year.  Otherwise he can rot after running his mouth yesterday. We want volunteers,  not hostages, but keep the complaints in house.  

Bills won’t release him before the Philly game imo.  I get everyone hating on beane overall but we really did the league and ourselves a big favor if slay rots on our did not report list.

 

hes a solid player if you don’t ask him to play a ton of man at this stage and an instant big upgrade to that cb2 spot in Philly..  really think slay was a nice scheme fit here if he decided to give it a shot and he probably would’ve been an upgrade to Tre even..  Steelers hurt his public perception with some strange usage 

Edited 55 minutes ago by Generic_Bills_Fan

[MPL]

17 minutes ago, DapperCam said:

19 minutes ago, MPL said:

The worst part is that Slay has to remain on the active roster, so the Bills essentially have a 52 man roster now. 

I'm pretty sure the Bills can put him on the "Reserve/Did Not Report" list, which makes it so he doesn't count as a roster spot and his cap doesn't count either.

that's good news. I didn't realize that. unless there's a catch. why do I feel like there's a catch?

[SectionC3]

12 minutes ago, MPL said:

that's good news. I didn't realize that. unless there's a catch. why do I feel like there's a catch?

Either way it doesn’t matter.  Ingram was inactive anyways and Dane can dress if they need another corner for ST.