If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
That’s exactly what the Buffalo Bills are doing after their failed attempt to land cornerback Darius Slay via the waiver system. Slay, 34, failed to report to the Bills, citing weather and not wanting to pack up and move again.
“I don’t feel like packing up and moving again,” Slay told Emmanuel Acho on The Speakeasy. “I’m 13 years in, like, I done did it. Like, they would have caught me at like 28, 29, I might have been like ‘OK.’ That’s a top organization. They have a lot of great things going. They win, they go to the playoffs, they got a franchise quarterback. So, it wasn’t a bad fit, it just caught me at a bad time.”
Buffalo retained Slay’s rights but placed him on the reserve/did not report list on Friday. In a corresponding move, the team claimed safety Darnell Savage off waivers.
Savage, 28, was most recently with the Washington Commanders. The veteran safety signed a one-year deal with the team in September, but recently requested his release due to his lack of snaps on defense.
Buffalo will be Savage’s third team in 2025. He started the year in Jacksonville, but was released by the team in mid-September after losing his starting job. Savage had signed a three-year deal with the Jaguars worth $21.75 million in 2024.
Savage started his career in Green Bay. The Packers drafted the safety with their first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft (No. 21 overall).
In Buffalo, Savage is expected to serve as depth behind Cole Bishop and Jordan Poyer. The veteran will be part of the Bills’ second-team unit along with rookie Jordan Hancock.
Savage has appeared in 95 games (82 starts) in his career. In his career, Savage has recorded 10 interceptions, one defensive touchdown and 40 passes defensed.