After dealing with some issues at cornerback late in the season due to injuries, poor technique and overall poor play at times, the Pittsburgh Steelers are seemingly in a better situation at the position entering the 2025 season.
That’s in large part due to the addition of veteran cornerback and Super Bowl champion Darius Slay, giving the Steelers are strong duo with third-year pro Joey Porter Jr. on the other side.
In fact, the two rank among the league’s 32 best cornerbacks ahead of the 2025 season, according to Pro Football Focus. In the position rankings at cornerback that published Tuesday morning, Slay landed at No. 21 overall while Porter landed at No. 26.
Slay checks in one spot behind Buffalo’s Taron Johnson just outside of the top 20.
“Slay bounced back from a poor 2023 season (65.4 PFF coverage grade, 83rd in PFF advanced coverage grade) with a 75.5 PFF coverage grade and a 17th-ranked PFF advanced coverage grade,” PFF’s John Kosko writes. “The 34-year-old Slay’s best days are behind him, but as his 2022 and 2024 seasons showed, he still has great play left in the tank.”
He’s entering his age-34 season and plays a position that is best suited for younger, athletic players, but Slay has the makeup between the ears and the experience to continue to play at a high level, proving that last season as he was a key part of a secondary that helped lift the Eagles to a Super Bowl title.
Now, he’s aiming to help mentor young cornerbacks in Pittsburgh while getting the experience of playing under head coach Mike Tomlin, whom he’s admired from afar for his entire career.
This doesn’t feel like a Patrick Peterson situation, either, considering Slay graded out at a 67.6 overall last season, allowing just 32 receptions on 64 targets for 371 yards and two touchdowns while breaking up 12 passes. He doesn’t have that elite long speed anymore, but he’s so smart and understands positioning and leverage, which helps him continue to thrive in the NFL.
As for Porter, he’s coming off of a tough second NFL season, one mired by penalties and inconsistent play, but the future remains bright for him. That said, PFF ranks him No. 26 behind the likes of Carolina’s Jaycee Horn and Atlanta’s A.J. Terrell.
“Porter’s 56.3 PFF coverage grade in 2024 doesn’t look great, but his PFF advanced coverage grade is much better (21st across the past two seasons),” Kosko writes. “Better on-ball production may be coming for the former [second]-round pick.”
Aside from the penalties, Porter had some moments last season. He allowed just 49 receptions for 630 yards and one touchdown on 74 targets, adding one interception and four pass breakups. He remained physical in coverage and was consistently at the catch point to try and disrupt.
But with that came a number of flags. Porter was penalized 15 times last season, with five others declined or offset. He was one of the most penalized defensive backs in the NFL last season, and that’s a real concern entering 2025, especially under new defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander.
That comes with his style of play, though. He’s made some complaints about it in the past, but he has to clean up some of the technique aspects to help get rid of the penalties. If he can do that in 2025 while learning from a player like Slay, Porter could — and should — take a step forward this season and should move up the rankings in 2026.
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