Editor’s note: From now until reporting day to training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2026 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with two players each day between June 13 and July 28. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.
DB DARYL PORTER JR.
Experience/age: one regular-season game, 24
Contract status: $885,000 cap hit in 2026, signed one-year contract
The past: Porter made his NFL debut last season when he was elevated from the practice squad for a Week 16 game in Detroit. He played one defensive snap and three plays on special teams in the 29-24 victory over the Lions. The Steelers released him eight days later and he finished the 2025 season on the Bills practice squad. Porter already has had two stints apiece with the Steelers and Bills in his fledgling career.
Prior to the NFL, Porter played two seasons at West Virginia and later three at Miami (Fla.). In 49 games combined, he had 108 tackles, 84 solo stops, 18 pass defenses and one interception. Porter wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine last year but reportedly ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds at Miami’s pro day. Pro Football Focus ranked him 48th among FBS cornerbacks in 2023, but the site’s analytics dropped him out of the top 200 for his final season with the Hurricanes.
Daryl Porter Jr. with the pass break up on 3rd down pic.twitter.com/dfF7eBi1xJ
— Grant Reacts (@GrantReacts1) October 19, 2024
2026 outlook: The 5-foot-10, 185-pound cornerback rejoined the Steelers in June after the Bills released him for the second time. He’ll take part in his second training camp in Latrobe, and like last year, should compete for a spot on the practice squad. He played in all three of the Steelers’ preseason games a year ago, making six tackles with five solo stops. He was cut from the team’s roster in late August and quickly added to the practice squad.
Porter is the son of a former Steelers draft pick. His father, Daryl Sr., was the team’s sixth-round pick in 1997 and played 55 games over five seasons for the Lions, Bills and Titans.