Moving on from DBs coach Grady Brown wasn’t expected as the Pittsburgh Steelers made staff changes this offseason. But Brown’s contract wasn’t renewed, and he was replaced by Gerald Alexander. On the surface, the team’s repeated communication breakdowns seemed to be the root of the reason. But the PPG’s Ray Fittipaldo says it was for a different reason.
“Joey Porter [Jr.] has not developed the way they hoped he thought he would as a number 32 overall pick in that draft,” Fittipaldo said during a Friday appearance on 93.7 The Fan with Joe Starkey. “That’s why Grady Brown is no longer here.”
Porter has emerged as one of the Steelers’ starting cornerbacks but has yet to be viewed as one of the league’s emerging stars. He’s still early in his career and has performed better than some cornerbacks drafted ahead of him, but others like the New England Patriots’ Christian Gonzalez look like studs. Porter isn’t quite there. Penalties and a lack of splash plays are the two biggest things to fix, something top-of-mind for Alexander in replacing Brown’s role.
“That’s Gerald’s job,” Fittipaldo said.
Alexander returns to Pittsburgh after spending the 2022-2023 seasons with the Steelers as a defensive assistant. He left in 2024 to become the Las Vegas Raiders’ safety coach but was brought back in 2025 after the Raiders underwent regime change and Pittsburgh had an opening with Brown’s departure. Brown was later hired as an assistant with the New Orleans Saints.
During spring workouts, Alexander emphasized a goal of getting Porter to make more plays on the football. A mission shared by CB Darius Slay, Porter has just two interceptions in his first two NFL seasons. Combine that with his career at Penn State and Porter has just three interceptions over his last five years. Last season, he was also one of the league’s most-penalized cornerbacks with his flags coming in bunches. That included six of them in one game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
If Porter can take the next step, he could sit atop the Steelers’ list of 2026 offseason extension candidates and earn a massive paycheck. If not, he’ll enter a crucial fourth season, the final of his rookie deal, and have a lot on the line when next season rolls around.
