It seems like whenever Pittsburgh Steelers rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. speaks to the media, he’s asked the same question. Why aren’t you playing more? Perhaps a fair question, he’s a highly touted player who could’ve been a first-round pick, but a situation that’s out of Porter’s control. He can only play the snaps the coaches grant.
What they’ve given him so far is only dime-package work. Speaking to reporters following Thursday’s practice, Porter said the intent is to help him focus on more limited situations and not overload him with information, allowing him to play fast and produce.
“It really hones me in on one specific down,” Porter told reporters via The Trib’s Chris Adamski. “Which is third down. That’s money downs. They give me that to lock in on that throughout the week. See the tendencies so when I get in I can make my plays like I have been.”
Through three games, 40 of Porter’s 44 defensive snaps have come in dime packages, according to our weekly charting. The only exceptions have been the four snaps he replaced CB Levi Wallace in last Sunday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Wallace was briefly injured before returning to the game.
While Porter’s snap count has grown week by week, his role hasn’t. The increase has only been due to game circumstance. There were far more obvious passing situations against the Las Vegas Raiders, who at one point trailed 23-7, compared to the San Francisco 49ers, who never trailed in their Week One win.
In the snaps Porter’s received, he’s played well. Also according to our charting, he’s allowed just one completion on four targets, a 12-yard catch to Raiders WR Davante Adams in Week Three. He had a pass breakup in the first half of the Steelers’ Week Two win over Cleveland and ended the game with tight man coverage that led to an incompletion. He did similar on an early third down against the Raiders, leading to a punt.
Right now, he has two veterans in front of him in Wallace and Patrick Peterson. Peterson isn’t going to be benched and Wallace rebounded after a tough first half against the Raiders, finishing the day with a pair of interceptions. While Porter has played some right cornerback, Wallace’s spot, most of his snaps have come on the left side.
As things stand, the Steelers will only make a depth chart change if they have to, if someone gets injured. Until then, Porter will maintain his role. It’s not a ton of snaps but he’s playing on those “weighty” downs and still has a chance to impact the outcome of a game.
