Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Steelers CB Talks Challenge of Defending Ravens' Lamar Jackson

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been an absolute nightmare to defend throughout his entire career. After all, he's possibly the greatest dual-threat quarterback to ever play, and he can make seemingly impossible plays with regularity.

Even defenders who have barely played against Jackson know how hard he is to contain.

During an appearance on "The Mina Kimes Show," new Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Darius Slay was asked who he finds harder to defend, Jackson or Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow. Two of the game's best signal-callers, but Burrow is much more of a pocket passer compared to Jackson. With almost no hesitation, Slay named Jackson as the harder of the two to contain.

New Steelers CB Darius Slay is in a division now with two of the best QBs in football. Which offense presents a greater challenge—BAL or CIN?

Had fun interviewing him about his new team, the Super Bowl, underrated receivers and more: https://t.co/mXaninyDmF pic.twitter.com/Ew8ptcht8N
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) June 19, 2025

"Probably Lamar because of the fact that he can extend plays, and as a corner, you hate when plays are extended because you have to keep chasing the receiver around the field," Slay said. "It's always two plays in one with Lamar."

Slay, who spent his prior 12 NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles, has only faced Jackson once, posting three tackles in the Ravens 30-28 win over the Eagles in 2020. He did not play in the Eagles 24-19 win over the Ravens last season.

Interestingly, Slay almost became a Raven himself last year after the Eagles released him. However, a conversation with Dom DiSandro, the Eagles' head of security who unexpectedly became a viral star over the past few years, convinced him to return to Philadelphia on a new deal.

"Dom is the reason I came back to Philly," Slay said last year on the "Pulp Fiction" podcast. "I almost was for sure a Baltimore Raven. I really committed to the Ravens and was gonna go. Then Dom called me and said, 'Slay, I want you here.' And I'm like, 'You know what, Dom? You calling me, I'm coming back.'"

That decision worked out for Slay as he won a Super Bowl with the Eagles, but now he'll have to go against Jackson and co. twice a year. In his own words, that will be a pretty tough challenge.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: