Joey Porter Sr. is one of the best pass rushers in Pittsburgh Steelers history. He might have spent some of his best years away from the Steelers, but he was still an integral part of one of their Super Bowl-winning teams. Now, his son, Joey Porter Jr., is building his own legacy with the Steelers. Even though they play different positions, it might be easy to expect the two Porters to have similar personalities, but Cam Heyward explains that is not the case.
“They’re completely different,” Heyward said Thursday on Compas on the Beat’s YouTube channel. “This one talks way more than his son. So, trying to bring him out of his shell a little bit more.”
Porter Sr. never played with Heyward, but he was a coach for the Steelers from 2014-18, so the two are familiar with each other. And Heyward probably didn’t need to play with the elder Porter to know he’s a vocal person. That’s one of the most well-known aspects of his personality. Porter Sr. was always willing to give a fiery speech.
It might surprise some people to hear that Porter Jr. is less vocal than his father. Corners tend to talk trash when guarding wide receivers. It sounds like the younger Porter isn’t as much of an extrovert as his father, but being that he’s a young player, that isn’t too shocking.
Perhaps that will change with Heyward working to help Porter Jr. speak up more. That change may have already started this past season. During their win against the Baltimore Ravens, it looked like Lamar Jackson and company were going to tie the game late. They drove down the field and scored a touchdown, but they needed to convert the ensuing two-point conversion. Things looked precarious for the Steelers.
Porter Jr. wasn’t willing to let his team go out like that, though. Displaying incredible leadership for his age, Porter delivered a speech before that two-point conversion attempt. Teammates pointed to that as an inspiring moment for them. Porter walked the walk too, making a huge tackle on Jackson to keep the Ravens from tying the game.
While he might never be as outspoken as his father, Porter seems to be growing into a leader for the Steelers. He didn’t have a spectacular 2024 season, but he made it clear he’s going to come into 2025 looking to be the best version of himself. Maybe that means he’ll make his voice heard even more as well.
