Dallas Cowboys cornerback Joey Porter Jr. looks on with teammates before a game against the Houston Texans last Sunday. (AP)
Joey Porter Jr. is gone. The chiropractic experts in Dallas have worked their miracles. Porter is playing for the Cowboys despite his monumental months-long struggle with back pain.
Heroic, indeed.
Now, the Pittsburgh Steelers have two questions to answer in the wake of Porter’s departure: How do they replace him? And how do they make sure something like this will never happen again?
The second question is easier than the first. Although, when presented with it Monday, Steelers coach Mike McCarthy didn’t provide much of a solution.
“I haven’t been part of any conversations where business philosophy is going to change,” McCarthy said. “I think anything in that realm are more discussions for offseason or private. I really don’t have a comment on it.”
The easier answer is to never attempt to avoid a hold-in by way of using the PUP list again. That was a strategy I’ve been railing against since July when Porter first reported his alleged injury at training camp.
The Steelers can also loosen their rule against guaranteeing money beyond the first year of a contract.
Actually, who am I kidding? That’s a loose rule already. They guaranteed money beyond Year 1 for DK Metcalf and TJ Watt.
So it’s not a rule. It’s a negotiating point. One that they could ditch and attain the same results in contract deliberations.
Part of the Steelers’ stance is that they don’t have to make a guarantee in writing because they have a track record of standing by players who have had catastrophic injuries in the past. Ryan Shazier, Sean Spence and Cole Holcomb come to mind.
They even stood by DK Metcalf’s guarantees when he gave the franchise an opportunity to void them after the incident he had with a fan in Detroit.
If I’m an agent, my response is going to be, if you are willing to stand by the terms of the contract, why not guarantee it in writing then?
That seems like a reasonable retort.
As for the second question — how Porter will be replaced in the secondary — McCarthy was similarly evasive.
“I expect every position to contribute. So, we’ll continue to work the players that are there,” McCarthy said. “We’ll continue to find the right combinations that give us a chance to win.”
It’s more understandable why McCarthy wasn’t as willing to give an answer on this point because … well … one doesn’t exist.
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The Steelers don’t have a reasonable replacement on the roster for Porter. Plus, Jamel Dean may be out for a while.
That leaves Asante Samuel and Brandin Echols (who came in as the team’s third and fourth corners), Jalen Ramsey playing with a broken wrist, rookie Daylen Everette and recently signed Sean Murphy-Bunting as the top five options capable of playing cornerback.
Not to mention seventh-round rookie Robert Spears-Jennings is seeing elevated minutes at safety because of an injury to DeShon Elliott.
“We feel like he’s ready to go,” McCarthy said of Everette. “He’s been pushing for playing time. I thought he did some really good things back in the preseason, particularly in Latrobe at the nickel.”
There’s “ready to go” and then there’s “ready to replace Porter or Dean.” Everette might be ready for NFL snaps. He’s not ready to take on that kind of responsibility. Not yet anyway.
Against Daniel Jones and Jalon Daniels the next two weeks? Maybe.
Check back again the next time he has to face a good quarterback and dynamic receivers when the opposing coaches have a full week to prepare for him.
Frankly, the best way to overcome the absences of Porter and others in the secondary is to get more aggressive with blitzes and the pass rush in general. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham seems to be considering that option.
“Naturally, I’m just trying to think about how to get the quarterback on the ground first,” Graham said. “From there, the coverage — because the coverage plays so much into both the run and the pass, how we’re defending it. It’s not just the pass coverage, in terms of the structure of the defense.”
Agreed. Because three sacks over the last two games certainly wasn’t enough from Graham’s front seven.
The point is, Steelers fans frustrated by Porter’s actions have reason to say good riddance. But the reason why his refusal to play was such a big deal in the first place can’t be forgotten.
Watch: Tim Benz and Joe Starkey discuss the fallout from Joey Porter’s departure in “Beyond the Bylines”