The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted CB Joey Porter Jr. with the first pick of the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, while teams called them offering great value to trade up. They didn’t necessarily want Porter, but the first pick of the second round is always a hot commodity. Every team has a player who “slipped out” of the first round that they want to go and get.
But Joey Porter was that player for the Steelers, and they weren’t going to trade away from him at 32. Twenty games into his career, they are looking smart for doing so because he is a critical part of what they do on defense. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin discussed the importance of his shadow coverage assignments and what they allow them to do.
“When you have a guy that matches up, you don’t let their game-wrecker wreck the game, and then that allows you to do coverages and different things to try to stem where they may go next,” Austin said of Porter via transcript provided by the Steelers’ media department. “You know it’s going to be really competitive out there. It gives you some flexibility to move some coverages around and do some other things.”
Of course, the Steelers didn’t throw Joey Porter Jr. into that position right away. Initially, as a rookie, he only served as a dime defender, graduating to nickel. He only entered the starting lineup about halfway through the season full-time. But it wasn’t long after that they started granting him shadow assignments, following top receivers. As head coach Mike Tomlin said earlier this year, that’s his life.
“A lot of times there’s going to be a clear-cut matchup,” Austin said.
Not every team has an obvious top receiver, but if they do, Porter will cover them more often than not. Austin added that they will try to do that anytime they can get him on an opponent’s top receiver. And he credits one of the Steelers’ newest additions this offseason for aiding that.
“That’s where Donte [Jackson] comes in,” Austin said, referring to having the support to allow Porter to move around. “We think we do, and we think that’s been a big component of our success so far in terms of being able to move Joey but not losing anything on the other side.”
The Steelers traded for Donte Jackson, the veteran cornerback, this offseason, and he already has an interception. While Steelers fans had their doubts upon the initial trade, he is fitting in well. And Jackson and Porter are fitting together quite well, too.
During the first two weeks of the season, the Steelers put Joey Porter Jr. on WRs Drake London and Courtland Sutton. As you may have noticed, neither of them had big games. He isn’t going to win every matchup he gets, especially against better opponents, but he is proving up to the task.
