The Steelers have tried to pair Joey Porter Jr. with a veteran cornerback for years; is Jamel Dean the solution? Patrick Peterson, Donte Jackson, Darius Slay, and Jalen Ramsey didn’t work out as planned. The former three didn’t last more than a year, while Ramsey seems destined for a different role.
At least in the abstract, Dean figures to have the best chance to make it all work. Of the previous candidates, he presents the best combination of age, experience, health, and career trajectory. Still 29 at signing, he is coming off arguably his best season. He did miss time, which is a concern, but that’s why he didn’t cost $15-20 million. In all, Brooke Pryor thinks this has a chance of working really well.
“On paper, Joey [Porter] and [Jamel] Dean should be a great tandem”, the ESPN insider said on the Chipped Ham and Football podcast. “But I would want to see it on the field, and see if Dean can get through a whole season without being hurt or having the falloff. Because it kind of feels like they’re playing with fire bringing in these older guys”.
Since drafting Joey Porter in 2023, the Steelers have paired him with a different “grizzly veteran” each season. His rookie year, it was Patrick Peterson, a potential future Hall of Famer. But he was clearly past his prime by then. A year later, they traded for Donte Jackson, who seemed to injure himself weekly—but still produced. Jamel Deal arrives in Pittsburgh after the 2025 failed experiment of Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey.
Both are among the greatest cornerbacks of their generation—Slay’s generation going back slightly further. He didn’t last the season. But Ramsey also, seemingly, showed the Steelers that he can’t be counted on as a full-time outside cornerback anymore. Jamel Dean, so far as we know, still has the tools, but there is the risk as cornerbacks age
“The payoff is that they’re vets, and they could be good locker room leaders. You’re not gonna have to worry about their work ethic, their dedication, things like that if they stuck around the league this long”, Pryor said as the advantage of the Steelers’ approach in bringing in older cornerbacks like Dean. “But you also have to worry about the mileage that they already have on their bodies”.
If Dean doesn’t work out, the Steelers also re-signed Asante Samuel Jr., a younger player who is also a starter; he comes with his own medical concerns. But at least they have depth, not the kind they have to luck into. Suffice it to say, they didn’t anticipate the season James Pierre had last year. Of course, they didn’t anticipate Darius Slay’s season, either.
Will Jamel Dean be the veteran who finally gives the Steelers the cornerback tandem they need and helps Joey Porter ascend to true No. 1 CB status? They are supporting him on the back end with Ramsey, DeShon Elliott, and now Jaquan Brisker. As they continue to stockpile talent, however, we can only wait to see how it blends together.
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