The Pittsburgh Steelers have added quite a few experienced players to the secondary this offseason, but one familiar face remains their most valuable asset.
That would be third-year cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
According to Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton, Porter is the Steelers’ best young building block under GM Omar Khan.
“Joey Porter Jr. is one-half of a top-three cornerback duo ahead of the 2025 season. At 6’3″, 193 pounds with 4.46 speed, he has the physical tools to match up with different types of receivers,” Moton writesregarding Porter. “In two years, Porter has surrendered just one touchdown in coverage. Eventually, quarterbacks may purposely avoid his side of the field if he starts to force more turnovers.”
In his first two seasons in the NFL, Porter hasn’t been beaten all that often in the passing game, especially for touchdowns. Across 1,778 snaps, Porter has been charged with just two touchdowns allowed — one in each season.
In that same span, Porter has allowed 73 receptions on 127 targets for 1,003 yards, adding 10 passes defensed and two interceptions. He’s graded out at 67.9 and 55.6 in coverage in the last two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus.
He was quite good as a rookie, but fell off in Year 2 and struggled with penalties. Entering Year 3, much rides on Porter. Darius Slay was brought in as a mentor, one that vows to help him clean up his penalties while also improving his hands. That could lead to more turnovers forced for the young cornerback.
If Porter is able to create more turnovers, he could go from an average cornerback with intriguing potential, to one of the better ones in the NFL.
“If Porter improves that area of his game [turnovers], he will be an All-Pro cornerback,” Moton writes of Porter. “For now, he’s still a valuable asset against high-powered passing attacks.”
Struggles with hands and finishing plays has Porter playing a similar brand of football to former Steelers’ great Ike Taylor. During Taylor’s long career with the Steelers, the cornerback had 14 interceptions across 174 games in the Black and Gold. Those numbers should have been even better, but Taylor struggled to finish plays due to issues catching the ball.
Porter has had some issues with that, too, but he’s also made some strong plays in coverage to this point. Improving his ball skills is a big point of emphasis this offseason for the young cornerback. Slay says Porter will fix his hands, and new secondary coach Gerald Alexander also made it a big point of emphasis for Porter this offseason, along with improving his hand usage in coverage.
Should Porter be able to take that next step in his game, he’ll be in line for a big contract next offseason, while serving as a key building block for the Black and Gold defensively as part of the future era in the Steel City.
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