As the 2023 season comes to an end, the annual team awards are starting to get announced. On Tuesday, T.J. Watt was announced as the team MVP for a record-tying fourth time. The rest of the awards should come shortly, including the rookie of the year. The Joe Greene Great Performance Award is given to the team’s top rookie each season by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America. There is some tough competition this year as the team’s top three picks have all performed at a high level. OT Broderick Jones, CB Joey Porter Jr., and DT Keeanu Benton have all seen a significant amount of playing time this season and all three have shown flashes of a bright future.
During Wednesday’s pre-practice media availability, Benton was asked who he thinks should be the Rookie of the Year for the Steelers. He pointed to Porter as his choice.
“I ain’t selfish man,” Benton said in a tweet posted by Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. “Do you know what position I play? I eat double teams.”
Benton understands the nature of his position and how it often doesn’t garner the attention that skill-position players do. Benton has appeared in all 16 games played so far with nine starts. He has logged 464 defensive snaps, which is just over 43 percent of the team’s total for the season. The Wisconsin product has 33 total tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles, and Pro Football Focus has credited him with an impressive 21 total pressures.
As for Porter, he has also appeared in all 16 games with 10 starts. He has 43 total tackles, one tackle for loss, 10 passes defensed, and one interception. He has done this while being asked to shadow some of the league’s top receivers like DeAndre Hopkins, Ja’Marr Chase, and DK Metcalf. The level of competition he has been asked to go against week after week makes his performance all the more impressive and makes him an enticing choice for the Steelers’ Rookie of the Year.
We will know soon enough who takes home the honor but there are multiple deserving candidates. That bodes well for the future of the team. Considering it was general manager Omar Kahn’s first draft fully in charge, it also bodes well for his future as a talent evaluator and decision maker as he guides the Steelers into their next era.
For what it’s worth, we posted a poll on Twitter at the beginning of December asking the public who they think should be the Steelers’ Rookie of the Year. The majority chose Porter.
