The Pittsburgh Steelers have added to their secondary a few times since free agency started. Their latest move was to bring in Jaquan Brisker, a defensive back who spent the 2022-25 seasons in Chicago. And it just so happens that Brisker, who signed a one-year contract with the Steelers Monday, is pretty familiar with one of his new teammates, Joey Porter Jr.
The two played together at Penn State for three seasons from 2019 to 2021. At his introductory press conference, Brisker talked about helping Porter grow and his excitement to reunite with him.
“You know, he had to mature, which he did. And you know, that’s one of my favorite teammates, one of my guys. And to see him, where he came from, at Penn State to now, it’s amazing. He’s gonna be a great player in this league, for sure,” Brisker said via the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “For him, he wanted to be great, and I wanted to push him.”
It’s a nice story for these two young players, each from the Pittsburgh area. And both have had solid careers since entering the NFL. Porter showed plenty of potential in each of his first two years. In 2025, he put it all together with a terrific season, one that sets him up well as he hopes for a contract extension this offseason.
Brisker has been solid as well. He’s a very physical player who plays the run well and doesn’t have any issues with missed tackles. He’s positionally versatile, able to play both in the box, and deep down the field. In some ways, Brisker is a sort of Swiss army knife the Steelers will be able to move around their defense.
On a one-year, $5.5 million deal, it’s a good signing for the Steelers. One that came together in part because of Porter’s press coverage.
“To be honest, Joey was kinda on the phone call too, a little bit. He was on FaceTime, ’cause he was blowing up my agent and things like that. Blowing me up like, ‘What are you gonna do?’ I’m like, ‘Bro, I’m probably gonna be a Steeler,'” Brisker said. “So it was amazing, for sure.”
The Steelers have done well to solidify things in the secondary, Brisker included. Porter and Jamel Dean, who signed with the Steelers last week, should be solid cornerback duo, and there is some decent depth behind them. Brisker and DeShon Elliott should be a nice safety tandem as well. Pittsburgh definitely needs to add more depth through the draft, but it’s a nice start to free agency.
Brisker won’t transform the defense, but his ability to play the run will be important. If he can build some consistency in pass coverage as well, the Steelers could have a steal on their hands. And they’d have Joey Porter Jr. to thank for that.
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