With training camp just around the corner, it’s time to turn our focus on what is going on within each position, and on the roster as a whole. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be taking a closer look at some of the roster battles that we expect to see unfold over the course of training camp as the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for the start of the 2023 season.
This year, there will be no quarterback competition overshadowing everything that goes on at Latrobe, but there will still be plenty of battles to sift through, both in the starting lineup and in depth. The Steelers added many new faces this offseason, rookie and veteran alike, and it’s in training camp that we begin to see where all the pieces fit.
Position: Cornerback
Up for Grabs: Starting Job
In the Mix: Levi Wallace, Joey Porter Jr.
I think we can define this battle with pretty narrow parameters. Either Levi Wallace will start opposite Patrick Peterson or Joey Porter Jr. will. There’s a more than fair chance that all three will be on the field together frequently. But one of the two will be on the field when there are only two cornerbacks in the game. Neither of them will be playing in the slot.
I think most anticipate right now that Wallace will hold onto his starting job, but Porter, the rookie 32nd-overall draft pick, will be the nickel defender, pushing Peterson into the slot and lining up on the outside opposite Wallace.
But it may be the case that he is the one on the field at the start of the game, or otherwise in 3-4 base looks, with Wallace being the one who comes onto the field. Or maybe Chandon Sullivan will be the primary slot defender and one of the two will simply be depth sitting on the bench awaiting their return.
Wallace would not be accurately described as a journeyman—he’s only on his second team going into year six, after all—but he isn’t exactly a player who has made waves. A former walk-on, a former college free agent, he has nevertheless been a full-time start for most of his career even though he began his rookie season on the practice squad in Buffalo.
The Steelers signed him as a free agent last year, and he began the year behind Ahkello Witherspoon on the depth chart. Witherspoon’s injury opened the door for Wallace, however, who arguably had a career year highlighted by four interceptions and a generally strong second half of the season.
As for Porter, he was one of the highest-rated cornerbacks coming out of college this year. He is big, tall, physical, a capable press corner, and comes from legitimate NFL—and Steelers—bloodlines. That will help narrow the learning curve a bit, but he’ll still have to prove himself before he’s allowed onto the field.
Peterson, the future Hall of Famer also in his first year with the Steelers, has gone on record saying that he thinks Porter will be on the field this year early and quite often. He’s also said that he believes Porter will ultimately be better than he was. That’s a tall order to live up to. He can start by cementing his place in the starting lineup in training camp and the preseason.
