Entering a key third season, Pittsburgh Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. has taken plenty of heat for not ascending. To be sure, he’s had his share of struggles. Penalties and missed opportunities have followed him from his first two years into 2025.
But on the whole, Porter has been a strong and steady cover corner. A new graph illustrates that. The @AccountStat Twitter/X account highlighted that in the below chart that plotted passer rating allowed versus yards allowed per coverage snap. Porter finished among the best.
The only cornerbacks who ranked higher were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jamel Dean and Los Angeles Chargers (and ex-Steeler) Donte Jackson. Porter graded far better than any other qualifying Pittsburgh cornerback. Jalen Ramsey received middling marks while Darius Slay and Brandin Echols ranked poorly.
These numbers are one data point but match the eye test. Porter has played well in coverage. In last Sunday’s game, he locked up Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on multiple occasions in man coverage, even if the Steelers went much more zone-heavy compared to the first meeting.
Porter’s long-standing flaws haven’t vanished. He’s been penalized more often than you’d like. Per our charting, six times this season (two of which were declined). Not a terrible number heading into Week 11, but Porter has also missed three games with injury. So he’s averaging nearly one per game. That’s too high.
His hands haven’t been good enough. He dropped a brutal interception against the Los Angeles Chargers, one that could’ve changed the game. He has only three picks in three years and four over his last five dating back to his Penn State days. Pittsburgh’s defense needs playmakers and Porter hasn’t done enough of that.
But his play has grown. In coverage, the core component of an NFL cornerback, Porter has progressed. The penalties and lack of takeaways can’t be hand-waved away but it’s consuming too much of the oxygen of his evaluation. Porter is an NFL-caliber cover cornerback. That doesn’t mean he won’t take lumps. All of those in his position at this level do.
The focus is the big picture. Like TE Darnell Washington and DT Keeanu Benton, Porter’s play is on the upswing.
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