Ever since the Pittsburgh Steelers became one of the most dominant franchises in the NFL, they’ve always had all-time greats on their defense. And often, those greats came at the outside linebacker position. From Jack Ham in the 1970s to Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Chad Brown, and then to Jason Gildon, Joey Porter, James Harrison, and now T.J. Watt, it’s a position that has a long lineage of greatness in Pittsburgh.
Porter was inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor as one of three inductees in the class of 2025, along with C Maurkice Pouncey and QB Ben Roethlisberger. Shortly after being inducted, Porter talked about the importance of being an outside linebacker for the Steelers.
“When you come to Pittsburgh and you play outside linebacker, it’s guaranteed that someone before you was the baddest man on the planet. And that’s just the legacy you’re going to walk in when you come and play outside linebacker in Pittsburgh,” Porter told Rob King and Bob Labriola after being announced as an inductee via the team’s YouTube channel.
Porter explained what makes playing outside linebacker in Pittsburgh unique.
“Being a linebacker period in Pittsburgh, outside linebackers carry a unique dynamic on our defense because we’re held to a standard of stopping the run, being pass-rushers, and just making sure you have an imprint on the game. Because we’re sending two, and for our defense to work, you have to be a badass at outside linebacker. You just have to have it.”
Porter praised the guys that came before him, specifically Greene and Lloyd, and said James Harrison and T.J. Watt have carried on the “badge” of being the type of special outside linebacker that the Steelers faithful have come to expect.
As Porter said, there’s a legacy to uphold when you play outside linebacker for the Steelers. Gildon took on the badge from Greene and Lloyd after they departed Pittsburgh, and Porter was able to play with Gildon and continue the legacy after Gildon left. Gildon was the veteran when Porter was a rookie, and Porter helped set the tone for James Harrison like Gildon did for him. Watt spent a season working under Harrison before emerging as the next man up in the legacy of great outside linebackers.
Porter also returned to Pittsburgh as a coach, and from 2015 to 2018, he coached outside linebackers. That gave him the chance to work closely with Watt as he entered the league and help him understand the legacy he had to carry on.
While Porter never played with Greene and Lloyd, he said he felt as if he played with Lloyd because he heard “every G Lloyd story you can hear.”
There’s no questioning Porter’s fire as a player, and he was undoubtedly “the baddest man on the planet” during his time in Pittsburgh. He finished his Steelers career with 60 career sacks, a Super Bowl ring, and three All-Pro honors, including a first-team All-Pro nod in 2002. He’s more than deserving of his Hall of Honor induction, and while he’s enjoying watching Watt carry on the outside linebacker legacy in Pittsburgh, his son, Joey Porter Jr., is carrying on the family legacy with the Steelers.
