When the Steelers drafted Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr. at the top of the second round in the 2023 NFL Draft many expected the young defensive back to see the field right away as a starter, pushing veteran CB Levi Wallace for the job opposite Patrick Peterson on the outside. Some were confident enough in Porter’s ability to see the field early, that they named him one of the top candidates for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
However, those aspirations took a bit of a hit on Sunday as Porter hardly saw the field against the San Francisco 49ers, playing just seven snaps on defense. Porter’s snaps came in the dime defense which Pittsburgh rolled out in third-and-long situations. Unfortunately, San Francisco didn’t have many third-and-long situations as its offense was on-schedule and the running game kept the 49ers in manageable down and distances. Head coach Mike Tomlin mentioned as much in his weekly press conference, stating that they were anticipating Porter to play more than he did.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, DC Teryl Austin was asked why Porter has been relegated to playing just in Pittsburgh’s dime defense and if it has to do with easing him into NFL competition.
“That’s just kinda where [Porter] is at right now,” Austin said, according to a tweet by Chris Adamski.
Many Steelers fans likely wished they would’ve seen more of Porter given the performance of the other outside corners last Sunday. CB Patrick Peterson got beat by WR Brandon Aiyuk for two touchdowns, having a tough time staying in-phase with the nuanced route runner. CB Levi Wallace missed a tackle on RB Christian McCaffrey, resulting in the two-time Pro Bowler getting loose in the secondary for a long touchdown run to effectively seal the game for San Francisco.
The issue of Porter being relegated to strictly Pittsburgh’s dime defense likely has to do with him both being a rookie and not yet showing that he is head-and-heels better than either Wallace or Peterson to warrant an increased role or starter snaps on the outside. While the excitement surrounding Porter is warranted, we do need to keep in consideration that he is a rookie transitioning from college to the pros, having a steeper learning curve and more technical work than most positions for rookies transitioning to the league.
However, as Porter continues to get up to speed with the NFL game, he should start to see an increased role on defense. That process could expedite itself as well should either Peterson or Wallace continue to struggle in their respective roles. That would potentially open the door for Porter to overtake a starting spot at outside cornerback where he will get his opportunity to show he’s ready for an increased role in Pittsburgh’s defense.
