Pittsburgh Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. impressed as a rookie with his ability to shadow and take away the opponent’s top receivers. Heading into his second season, Porter is getting some respect for his work during his rookie season. Doug Farrar of USA Today ranked the top 13 NFL outside cornerbacks ahead of the 2024 season, and Porter Jr. came in at No. 8. Farrar praised Porter for his work in the red zone and for being a “claustrophobic” defender.
“Moreover, he was immediately one of the NFL’s better play destroyers in the red zone, as multiple opposing quarterbacks and receivers found Porter’s targeted aggressiveness a lot to deal with in compressed spaces,” Farrar wrote. “Porter can match and carry, and he’s good in off coverage, but as much as any young cornerback in the NFL right now, his team requires him to be a claustrophobic defender. It seems to be an intrinsic skill.”
The @steelers took Joey Porter Jr. in the second round of the 2023 draft because they were playing a lot of press in 2022, and they really weren’t good at it. Porter changed the picture right away… especially in the red zone. pic.twitter.com/UbG278UIcw
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) June 4, 2024
The Steelers were patient with Porter, as he got his first significant playing time in Week 5, which is when he had his first career interception. He saw a significant number of snaps in each game after and matched up with the top receiver from other teams, taking away DeAndre Hopkins in Week 9 against the Titans and limiting Ja’Marr Chase in Week 12 against the Bengals. He quickly emerged as Pittsburgh’s top cornerback and played well throughout the season. He’s entering 2024 as Pittsburgh’s clear-cut No. 1 and he’ll have high expectations.
The Steelers added to their cornerback room this offseason by trading for Donte Jackson and signing Anthony Averett. They reportedly plan to re-sign, Cameron Sutton too, but Porter is the top guy in that group and expectations are lofty heading into his second season. Porter still struggled at times during his rookie year with being too grabby, getting flagged 12 times, including four defensive pass interference penalties and three defensive holding penalties. That’s something he’s going to have to clean up before he can be talked about among the truly elite cornerbacks.
But Porter showed continual growth throughout his rookie season, improving his tackling, and he’s more than likely working on using his hands better in a way that won’t get him flagged. His impressive length on the outside helps him be claustrophobic and makes him an asset in press man, and that should continue this season. The Steelers defense is going to have to play up to expectations for the team to return to the playoffs, and as the leader in the cornerback room, Joey Porter will be a big part of that this season.
