While Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said that he thinks rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. can get more snaps this week and he thinks Porter “can anticipate” that, Porter told reporters today he isn’t sure if his role will change in Week Seven against the Los Angeles Rams
“I really don’t know. Like I always do, I just always try to come to work and prepare as a starter and let the chips fall,” Porter said via video posted to Steelers.com. “I just gotta stay prepared.”
Porter has played like Pittsburgh’s top cornerback this season, albeit in limited snaps. He graded out as the best corner in the league when he was given his first extended opportunity in Week Five against the Baltimore Ravens. Even when he was just playing in Pittsburgh’s dime package, he was a lockdown cornerback, allowing a 0.0 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks when targeted.
He’s earned more reps, and despite him saying that he isn’t sure if they’ll come, Austin’s comments certainly make it sound like Porter will play more this week. The Rams use a lot of 11 personnel, running it 73% of the time with multiple receivers on the field, including three in Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Tutu Atwell. All have stood out for the Rams this season, so it’s natural that the Steelers would counter by adding Porter to the mix alongside Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson.
The Steelers’ growing confidence in Porter is a good sign for the rookie going forward, but the onus is going to be on him to prove that he can sustain close to his level of play in a bigger role. Porter has just 86 defensive snaps in five games, but that’s a number that should grow in the coming weeks, starting Sunday.
Porter’s preparation and coming in like he’s going to work as a starter even when he sees limited snaps is a mindset that’s helped him up to this point. It’s one that he’ll continue to have, and eventually maybe he can supplant Wallace or Peterson as one of the team’s outside corners if he proves he can continue to perform at a high level.
The Steelers have struggled in coverage, with both Wallace and Peterson’s lack of speed coming back to bite them at various times this season. Porter’s looked good, and if that continues, his time will come. In future weeks, I doubt Porter is going to have uncertainty about his role, especially if he can put up a good performance against Los Angeles.
