Joey Porter Jr. had no say in a new coaching staff after Mike Tomlin’s resignation, but he’s embracing the positives. Though he is currently on the sidelines amid his contract situation, he is in the classroom. He is learning the new defense—and also learning how the new coaches want to deploy their cornerbacks.
While Porter seemed excited about the prospect of shadowing No. 1 receivers again, that wasn’t the real headline for him. In perhaps a commentary on how Tomlin and Teryl Austin constructed their defense, he sees under Patrick Graham a defense that allows for more freedom of style.
“They’re gonna let us do what we do as corners. And the biggest part is to just let us play our game and not put us in a box. So that’s what we’re happy about”, Joey Porter said about the Steelers’ plans at cornerback, via the team’s website.
In three seasons, Porter has established himself as one of the better young cornerbacks in the NFL. If he could manage to intercept a few more passes, he would surely be in the Pro Bowl conversation. Last year marked a decent step up for him, and he hopes to fully cement his status in 2026. Having more flexibility to play to his own strengths could help him do that.
“Mainly just our play styles, our body types”, Porter said when asked to clarify what he meant by the Steelers letting their cornerbacks play their own game and not put them in a box. “As a corner, some guys can’t do everything the next guy can. As a tall corner, I can’t move my feet and move back as fast as Asante Samuel, so it wouldn’t be right for me and him to play the position similar. We’re two different body types, and that’s kind of what I mean by that”.
Last year the Steelers found themselves unstable in the secondary as initial plans fell through. Joey Porter proved to be the rock, but Darius Slay did not last—and Slay had his own criticisms of how the previous Steelers coaching staff ran the defense. Also, injuries at safety forced Jalen Ramsey back there, leaving James Pierre and Asante Samuel Jr. manning the cornerback position opposite Porter.
This year the Steelers are pairing Porter with veteran Jamel Dean. They also retained Samuel, and drafted Daylen Everette in the third round. Jalen Ramsey is still around, though he likely will not play outside much unless necessary.
In Porter’s case, we know, of course, what his game is. A long press cornerback, he wants to play up close and tight and use his size to his advantage. Since his rookie season, he has also preferred to follow the other team’s top receiver. From the sounds of it, he expects to have the opportunity to do both under Patrick Graham and company.
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