Coming off a great rookie season that saw him assert himself as one of the best young cornerbacks in the NFL, Joey Porter Jr. is poised for a big second season in the Black and Gold with some added pieces around him.
That potentially big second season has head coach Mike Tmolin keeping a close eye on Porter during training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe to make sure that Porter reaches his full potential and becomes what the Steelers expect.
Appearing on the SiriusXM NFL Radio “Movin’ The Chains” show with Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller, Tomlin spoke highly of his young cornerback, whom he has great expectations for this season.
“I’m also really watching the growth and development of Joey Porter Jr. very closely,” Tomlin said, according to audio via SiriusXM. “You know, we hold our second-year players to a high standard in terms of taking a leap for us. This is a guy that made a bunch of plays last year and his career is off to a great start.
“I think it’s reasonable for us to expect him to be a really good player this year and take another step.”
Tomlin’s comments on Porter aren’t much of a surprise. He made a similar comment back during OTAs, but it’s attention-grabbing that he’s paying close attention to Porter, as opposed to other new faces and younger players on defense who might play roles for the Steelers and might not be as established within their scheme.
Tomlin’s focus on Porter is rather telling, as he believes his second-year corner has greatness in front of him, especially if the 2023 season was any indication.
Though he was brought along a bit slowly early in the season, which was pretty frustrating as cornerbacks Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson struggled, that slow play and development worked out as Porter took off once inserted into the lineup in Week 8.
Porter took on the tough assignment of handling the opponent’s top passing-game weapon weekly, quickly becoming the Steelers’ bona fide CB1. He more than handled his own as Porter became a true lockdown cornerback, consistently taking away opponents’ top receiver each and every week.
He was quite impressive in the role as that physical, shutdown corner, though he did have some struggles with some penalties.
Porter finished with a 65.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 806 snaps. He had a 67.9 grade in coverage, allowing just 25 receptions for 384 yards a touchdown while breaking up six passes and recording one interception. That came late in the Week 5 win at Acrisure Stadium over the Baltimore Ravens when he stepped in front of a pass in the end zone intended for Odell Beckham Jr.
Now, entering Year 2 he’s an unquestioned starter in the Steelers’ defense, a key piece in their secondary, and one of the most popular young cornerbacks poised for a huge breakout in 2024. We’ll see if he can live up to expectations from Tomlin. Based on his growth as a rookie, that shouldn’t be much of a problem.
