Pittsburgh Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. is poised to make his first NFL start today against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With CB Levi Wallace inactive due to a foot injury, Porter is expected to receive first-team reps out of the gate. That’s been confirmed by the PPG’s Brian Batko, who tweeted as much as Porter went through warmups.
While we’ll find out the team’s exact configuration in less than 30 minutes, Patrick Peterson is expected to see more time on the right side to replace Wallace.
Porter, a second-round pick last April, has played in all six games this season and steadily seen his playing time increase. Over the first month of the year, he was only used in dime packages. But starting in Week Five against the Baltimore Ravens, the coaching staff increased his role. That continued in Week Seven’s win over the Los Angeles Rams, Porter playing a season-high 53 snaps.
On the season, Porter has nine tackles, three pass deflections, and one interception while grading out well in our charting and advanced metric sites like Pro Football Focus.
Porter and the Steelers’ secondary will have a tall task ahead of them against the Jaguars’ great receivers. They’re led by Christian Kirk and Calvin Ridley, a pair of dynamic players enjoying strong seasons with third-year QB Trevor Lawrence efficiently getting them the football.
With Wallace out, it’s possible CB James Pierre sees more playing time, perhaps in dime packages. New CB Darius Rush is also dressing for the first time and will make his NFL debut. He was signed off the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad two weeks ago.
