At this point, it’s unclear what rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. will have to do to earn the starting endorsement from Pittsburgh Steelers’ DC Teryl Austin. In the second half of Sunday’s win over the Baltimore Ravens, the team expanded Porter’s role beyond his usual dime package snaps. Porter essentially became a starter, playing in the team’s base 3-4 and nickel groupings.
He responded in a big way with a critical interception, the first of his career, off Ravens QB Lamar Jackson on a 3rd-and-goal play. It revived a deflated Steelers team following Gunner Olszewski’s punt return fumble and on the ensuing drive, QB Kenny Pickett hit WR George Pickens for a 41-yard score.
And yet, Austin still doesn’t believe now is the time to declare Porter a starter. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Austin said what he’s said throughout the year. Not yet.
“Not right now,” Austin said via Steelers.com. “When the time comes, it’ll come.”
In the first half of the Ravens’ game, Porter logged just four defensive snaps, three of them coming on Baltimore’s end-of-half drive. With Baltimore staying on schedule and running the ball well the first 30 minutes, they stayed out of those “and long” situations that put Pittsburgh in dime and Porter on the field.
With Porter barely playing and CBs Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson struggling, the team began using Porter in an every-down role late in the third quarter. He logged 20 snaps the rest of the way, all at his usual left corner spot. On his first such drive, Wallace, the right cornerback, came off the field while Peterson slid over to that spot. On the following two drives, Peterson was taken off the field while Wallace worked at right corner. The rest of the way, Pittsburgh was in its dime defense, putting all three of their top corners on the field: Porter at left corner, Wallace at right, and Peterson in the slot.
Again, Austin explained their plan with Porter.
“Really what we’ve been doing is allowing Joey to earn his reps and earn the time. As he earns it, through the things he does in practice and the things he does in the game, then he sees more during the game,” he said. “And I think that’s what you’re starting to see. He’s starting to get it.”
Pittsburgh will have the benefit of the bye week to determine the pecking order going forward. Despite Austin’s hesitation, it would be an upset to see Porter go back into his previous role of solely playing in dime packages. The team has been careful about putting too much on his plate but it’s obvious Porter can handle it. That’s not to say he won’t take his lumps with an expanded role — he will as all rookie corners do — but offenses and game circumstances shouldn’t dictate how much he’s seeing the field. Too often, he’s been stuck on the sidelines playing only a handful of snaps.
Assuming Austin’s commentary is closer to lip service than reality, the team will have to figure out its other corner spot. Either Peterson will have to move to right corner or will have to kick to the slot. The latter makes more sense and would take slot corner Chandon Sullivan off the field.Sullivan has not been effective this year and doesn’t have any defining area of his game.
It’s also possible that Porter is not the “true” every-down starter. Perhaps the team will opt against playing him in its base 3-4 and use him in nickel packages. That way, Peterson and Wallace won’t lose playing time (if Peterson bumps inside in all nickel situations) while Porter sees a huge uptick in reps. It’s one decision we’ll be watching for closely when the Steelers take the field in Week Seven against the Los Angeles Rams.
