With the Steelers’ 2023 regular season underway following a disappointing year that came up just short of reaching the playoffs, it’s time to start finding out whether or not the answers to last year’s questions are on the roster, tested all throughout training camp and the preseason.
Both sides of the ball got key additions through both free agency and the draft, with new starters, including potentially rookies, amounting to half a dozen or more. The offensive line, the linebackers, and the secondary were all key targets since last year. But what will they look like?
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
Topic Statement: CB Joey Porter Jr. should start to see rotational snaps with the starters.
Explanation: The rookie has played 21 defensive snaps through two weeks, but limited to work in the dime defense. While his slate isn’t completely clean (he was one of several players to miss a tackle on one long gain last week), he has stepped up and made plays in big moments. What else is required to earn a larger role when the starters are not performing at a high level as it is?
Buy:
There has not been any point during his rookie offseason with the Steelers at which CB Joey Porter Jr. looked like he wasn’t ready for the assignment he was given. Sure, he took his lumps working one-on-one against the likes of WR George Pickens, but so would anybody else, and he learned from it.
He’s continued to grow, and he’s made the plays that were put in front of him now inside of real NFL stadiums. He made two big plays on possession downs just this past Monday. The irony is that while they are limiting him to work in the dime defense, they are putting him in a pressure cooker, because the snaps that he does play have such high stakes.
To put it another way, he’s already shown that he can handle it. With Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson out there not doing anything special, it’s time to throw him into the mix. They’ve rotated cornerbacks before, especially when starters are struggling. Do it now when the guy rotating in is a player you think will be a franchise piece.
Sell:
What’s working is working. Porter has performed well within the niche he has been given, and they can expand that particular niche accordingly. But to start modifying that now, just as they are preparing to go on the road for the first time, is ill-advised.
Sure, in the near future, he can start to play a larger role. If they ever decide that Peterson can actually play in the slot like they talked about all offseason, he can graduate into the nickel role. But to rotate as a starter? Let’s see a little more first, and wait for a friendly environment in which to do it. It will be good to see how he handles a hostile crowd first.
