Joey Porter Jr. still has a pair of Jalen Ramsey’s game-worn cleats that were given to him at the Pro Bowl. Seven years later, they’re lining up next to each other on the Steelers’ defense.
“When he was a Pro Bowler, my dad was a coach one year. And I was in high school, and he gave me a pair of his cleats. So I always remember that,” Porter said via WTAJ News’ YouTube. “We always had a good little connection since then. So it’s kinda crazy. It’s a full-circle moment that I get to line up beside him now.”
According to Chris Adamski, Porter still has that pair of Ramsey’s game-worn cleats.
Mike Tomlin coached the AFC squad in the 2018 Pro Bowl. That was the final year of Joey Porter Sr. coaching with the Steelers. Ramsey made the Pro Bowl in 2018 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. That was very likely the year that he gave the younger Porter his cleats.
Ramsey was in his third year in the NFL with an already impressive pro résumé. Porter was a senior at North Allegheny High School getting ready to go to Penn State the following year. Now they are teammates seven years later.
The Steelers bringing in Ramsey at Porter’s position in a potential contract year could be perceived as a slight, but it sounds like their goal is to have all three on the field as often as possible. And Porter has already said learning from Ramsey has “only been great” for him.
Both Porter and Ramsey are tall, athletic corners with exceptionally long arms. That makes Ramsey the perfect role model for Porter as he attempts to take his game to the next level in his third NFL season. Ramsey has learned to use length to his advantage while Porter is still trying to figure out how to avoid penalties and get his feet caught up to his arms.
Porter will have Darius Slay, Ramsey and even WR DK Metcalf to learn from this season. With Ramsey’s cleats in hand, hopefully Porter can start to follow in his footsteps to become one of the top shutdown corners in the NFL.
