This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers brought back a familiar face to replace Grady Brown as the team’s defensive backs coach, hiring Gerald Alexander, who spent 2022-2023 as the team’s assistant defensive backs coach before leaving to serve as the Las Vegas Raiders’ safeties coach last season. His final season in Pittsburgh overlapped with CB Joey Porter Jr.’s rookie year, and Porter said he’s excited to have Alexander back with the Steelers.
“It’s great to have him back in the building. I had him my rookie year, so I already had that relationship with him. He was a great guy, a great mentor to me, in the room. So the fact that we brought him back, he just brings that energy, that juice, that physicality that we need as a secondary. So we’re all excited for him to be back in the building and get to work,” Porter said [via video posted to Steelers.com](https://www.steelers.com/video/watch-slay-porter-thompson-jones-media-availability?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=discord).
While Brown was viewed as an up-and-coming coach for the Steelers, Pittsburgh’s secondary had a lot of issues with communication down the stretch, and the team clearly felt change was necessary, as they let Brown’s contract expire. Alexander brings familiarity, which should help him aid Porter’s development, and his energy should be an asset to Pittsburgh’s defensive backs.
Porter had a strong rookie season but didn’t take the year two leap that many expected, as he struggled with penalties and being too handsy. It wasn’t a bad season by any means, but with Alexander back, the Steelers are looking for Porter to ascend into one of football’s top cornerbacks this season. The team also signed veteran Darius Slay, who can help mentor Porter, just as Patrick Peterson did during Porter’s rookie season.
In Alex Kozora’s [breakdown of Alexander after he was hired](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/02/the-big-book-of-new-steelers-dbs-coach-gerald-alexander/), it was clear the energy he brought to the table, working out alongside his players, and even wearing cleats to practice. He also talked about wanting his players to play loose and “not think about the bad result,” which could benefit Porter in his quest to avoid committing too many penalties.
The mindset that Alexander brings to the table should be beneficial to Porter and Pittsburgh’s defensive backs as a whole, as they look to get back to being one of the strongest units in the league. Pittsburgh’s turnover culture was strong under Grady Brown, and that should continue under Gerald Alexander. Still, the Steelers are hoping it’s a unit that will be consistent and not struggle with the lapses in play that the Steelers saw from their secondary last season.