Following a 2024 season that saw him play an instrumental role from a mentorship standpoint in Philadelphia with two rookie cornerbacks in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, veteran cornerback Darius Slay will now take on a mentorship role in Pittsburgh with young cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr., Cory Trice Jr., and Beanie Bishop Jr.
When it comes to Porter, Slay is most excited to work with him after watching him from afar.
Appearing on the latest episode of the “Big Play Slay” podcast in which he revealed why he signed with the Steelers and what his free agency process was like, Slay spoke highly of Porter — as well as standout safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, stating that he’s looking forward to seeing these guys up close and working with them daily.
With Porter, Slay sees a cornerback with some of the best press technique in the NFL for a young corner.
“Joey Porter Jr.’s got a lot of upside, man. I’ve been watching him from afar, and I’ve been telling him all the time, man, he got some of the best press technique I seen in the league at a young age,” Slay said regarding Porter, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “Man, he’s a great corner. Long, fast, physical, look like a willing tackler for sure.
“So it could be a great opportunity to go work with him.”
After a great rookie season that saw him play like a true No. 1 cornerback down the stretch, expectations were high for Porter entering Year 2. It was a rocky one, though, as the Penn State product struggled with penalties and was a frequent target of flags, particularly down the stretch.
Despite the flags and the concerns regarding how grabby he was in coverage leading to those flags, Porter had a solid year in cover. Porter allowed 49 receptions on 75 targets for 630 yards in 2024, but he was stout where it mattered most, allowing just one touchdown in coverage for the second season in a row.
Porter added an interception and had four pass breakups, too. Where he struggled most, though, was with those aforementioned penalties, getting called for 15 on the season with five declined or offset. That’s a sky-high number, but with Porter’s physical style, it’s going to happen.
The six-flag game against the Cincinnati Bengals on the road was dreadful, but Porter bounced back nicely.
Despite some struggles, Porter remained a matchup problem for several receivers due to his physical, hands-on style. He’ll have a new DBs coach in Gerald Alexander to work with moving forward, and Year 3 is shaping up to be a pivotal one for him.
Having a player like Slay to lean on at the position, much like he had with Patrick Peterson as a rookie, could really help Porter build up his game and take off again in Year 3.
Porter isn’t the only player Slay is excited to work with. The 34-year-old cornerback is also fired up to play with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, whom he called the best safety — from an accolades perspective — he’ll have played with.
“You got Minkah at the safety position, all-pro. I heard nothing but great things about him, man. He’s a professional. …They say he’s just a professional worker, man. He just comes in and get his work in and go hard. Watching him on film is exciting,” Slay said of Fitzpatrick. “This is one of the best safeties I done probably played with, with his status as in like, all-pro couple of times. I don’t know how many times, I think maybe like two or three times, probably. He’s been in a Pro Bowl about four times.
“So he’s one of the best safeties I done played with. Even though I done played with a lot of great safeties, you know what I’m saying? A lot of ’em, but you know, from a standpoint of just the accolades he has, he’s one of the best ones I done played with, and I’m looking forward to that.”
Fitzpatrick certainly has the accolades on his resume, with three first-team All-Pros and five Pro Bowls. He’s still just 28 years old, too. That said, he’s coming off of a down year, with many questioning his abilities moving forward in the Steelers’ defense.
Since the end of the season, Fitzpatrick has been talked about as a player the Steelers could move on from due to his hefty price tag and limited production. Though he recorded 96 tackles on the season, he had just one interception, which came in Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens.
But despite that noise from reporters and the fanbase, players are backing Fitzpatrick, and a new player like Slay speaking as highly as he did about Fitzpatrick is notable. Hopefully, with a new addition like Slay and a depth add like safety Juan Thornhill, Fitzpatrick can be freed up to move around and search for splash plays for the Steelers.
Check out the full episode of “Big Play Slay” below.
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