Based on their own draft board, the Pittsburgh Steelers believe that they got (at least) two first-round talents during the 2023 NFL Draft. Of course, it’s much easier to do that when you have the top pick of the second round, which is where they selected Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr., but the point is that he’s here.
The question is when he’ll play. And the Steelers don’t have an answer for that yet, but they know have to find it. “I don’t know when Joey’s time is gonna be, but when it comes, I think we’ll know”, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin told reporters yesterday via the team’s website when asked what he will look for in Porter to know when they are ready to play. And he explained what his process is:
Having had to play a young corner before, the things that I always looked for, you look for the competitiveness. You look for all the good things, [like] he’s out there and he’s playing with confidence. But I always look for, what’s his understanding of his role? Does he understand why we’re putting him in here in this particular role right now? If he understands that, then you move towards, how’s he actually playing it? Is he doing it well? Sometimes guys can understand it but really not play it well because then they don’t play it fast. You look at those two things, and then there’s usually a moment where you just go, ‘Okay, I think this guy’s ready’. You’re ready to throw him in and understand that you may take some lumps with him at some point, but he’ll grow through those lumps.
Austin is in only his second season as defensive coordinator for the Steelers, though he’s been on the staff since 2019. He has had previous stints as coordinator with the Detroit Lions and the Cincinnati Bengals and spent three or more years each as a defensive backs coach with the Seattle Seahawks, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Baltimore Ravens.
As a result, he has seen this situation come up a time or two. He mentioned Marcus Trufant, a first-round pick his first year in Seattle back in 2003. He noted that Trufant was a player who was ready to come in and play right away—which he did, starting 125 games for the Seahawks over the years.
On the other hand, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie took a bit longer to establish a full-time role for the Cardinals while Austin was their defensive backs coach in 2008 when he was taken in the first round. While he got on the field in every game, it wasn’t until about midseason when he was playing a full-time starter’s role. Week 10 was the first time he played 50-plus snaps.
What will the timeline be for Porter? It’s hard to say until we see more, of course. It also depends on what the other options are. While Levi Wallace is not pounding down the door of the Pro Bowl, he had a very solid first season in Pittsburgh last year, highlighted by a career-high four interceptions.
There’s also the fact that the slot cornerback position is in contention right now. If Patrick Peterson can handle most of those snaps, it would be easier to find time for Porter on the field without it coming at the expense of one of the starters.
Or maybe the rookie just comes in and shows that he is ready for a full-time starting role from day one and pushes Wallace to the sideline—or to that third cornerback role if Peterson is the primary slot defender. We don’t know yet. The Steelers don’t know yet. But they know when they will know, and they know what they need to see.
