Pittsburgh Steelers Exit Meeting: CB Joey Porter Jr.
Experience: 2 Years
Pittsburgh Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. didn’t have the sophomore season he wanted, and that’s not my opinion. That’s why he thinks himself, or he wouldn’t have vowed to be a whole different player in 2025. Not that he needs to be completely different—he didn’t even have a bad season. But there is certainly still some meat left on that bone, make no mistake.
The 32nd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Joey Porter Jr. has Steelers bloodlines, as everybody knows. On paper, he also has everything you would want in a cornerback, and often he does on the field, too. When at his best, he can be great, looking like a rare Steelers Pro Bowl cornerback. It’s been a while since they had one of those, particularly a homegrown one.
But he isn’t quite there yet, and that’s okay, as long as he knows what he needs to do. Porter still has his ups and downs, with some great games and some duds. That’s not just talking about his tendency to commit holding penalties, but also his coverage integrity. Every cornerback is going to lose his battles from time to time. When he does lose, though, it tends to occur in bunches more often.
We can start by looking at the raw numbers. During the 2024 season, Joey Porter intercepted his customary one pass. He only recorded seven passes defensed, down from 10 during his rookie season. He significantly increased his tackle load from 43 to 70, but that has a lot to do with facing more targets and allowing more receptions.
Indeed, Porter allowed a much higher percentage of receptions than he did his rookie season. He also increased his missed tackle percentage. But you can very easily see the talent when you watch him play, and that’s what the Steelers see.
I don’t know why Porter didn’t have a better season in 2024, the sort of season of which he is capable. But I am impressed with the fact that he is on himself as much as anybody is. Other than the penalties, he had a very solid season, not allowing a touchdown. But he can be better—potentially a lot better—and he wants to unlock that. That’s what you want in your top cornerback, especially if you’re going to ask him to go up against top targets.
The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves at home, the inevitable result of another early playoff exit. This is a repeated pattern for the organization, with no clear end in sight. As the Steelers conduct their own exit meetings, we will go down the roster conducting our own. Who should stay, and who should go, and how? Who should expect a bigger role next season, and who might deserve a new contract? We’ll explore those questions and more in these articles, part of an annual series.
