The Pittsburgh Steelers have traditionally been a team that hasn’t asked their rookies to step into big roles right away, having players like DL Cameron Heyward and LB Lawrence Timmons sit behind experienced veterans and take time to develop before hitting the field as full-time starters. However, Pittsburgh’s approach with its rookies has changed in recent seasons, having guys like RB Najee Harris, QB Kenny Pickett, and WR George Pickens hit the field right away or shortly into in their first NFL seasons.
Playing right away is the first step for any rookie to qualify for winning the Offensive or Defensive Rookie of the Year award, along with putting together an impressive season as they transition from the college game. Just ask 2022 DROY winner CB Sauce Gardner, who started all 17 games last season for the New York Jets and was named a Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro in his first season, recording 75 total tackles, three TFLs, 20 PBUs, and two INTs.
Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports recently published his rankings for 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and had Pittsburgh Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. at #4 among potential candidates.
“Porter landed in an exquisite scenario in Pittsburgh, and it’s not because his dad was a star for the organization,” Trapasso wrote. “Fellow rookie Keeanu Benton will make the interior of the defensive front more menacing, too. All those bodies in the trenches will give Porter more targets in his vicinity on hurried throws from opposing quarterbacks than most rookie corners. With his experience, productivity, and extraordinary length, he’ll be a ball magnet as a rookie in Teryl Austin’s defense. Austin was the Lions defensive coordinator during Darius Slay’s fine rookie season in 2014. Porter is a similar, lengthy, in-your-face outside corner.”
The three players that Trapasso ranked ahead of Porter were Eagles DL Jalen Carter, Texans EDGE Will Anderson, and Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez.
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t had a DROY winner since 2001 when LB Kendrell Bell claimed the award after an impressive rookie campaign. However, Trapasso places Porter on a short list of candidates that will have the opportunity to take home the hardware in 2023. He has a point when talking about the vaunted defensive front Pittsburgh has that will force opposing QBs to get rid of the football faster, giving Porter opportunities to rack up more pass deflections as well as get hands on a few interceptions, which is something that he struggled with at Penn State.
Porter has said the lack of picks in college was because offenses were scared to throw his way, leading to less targets. That shouldn’t be the case in 2023 with QBs looking to test the rookie corner and see what he’s made of opposed to throwing against veterans like Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace.
Porter will get opportunities to make plays in 2023 as a potential contender for the award, but he’ll have to earn a starting job on the outside, having to beat out Wallace for the spot as the team’s perimeter CB opposite Peterson. DC Teryl Austin mentioned after drafting Porter that he expects him to contribute immediately, suggesting he’ll get every opportunity this summer to win the job and be in the running for DROY.
