Most of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starters, especially the veterans, don’t play much in the preseason, if at all. Joey Porter Jr. has shown the Steelers enough that they don’t need him to get a large number of reps in exhibition games. However, this week’s joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will feature Porter and one top receiver he’s admired from afar.
“Going against Mike Evans, I’m excited for that,” Porter said to the media before Tuesday’s training camp practice. “I’ve been watching him for a long time, so now I get to go against him in practice. I’m excited for that.”
Tuesday is the last training camp practice for the Steelers. They head back to Pittsburgh afterward, where they’ll hunker down for the long season ahead. Thursday’s joint practice represents the first time the Steelers take the field at Acrisure Stadium. Porter will have some talented receivers he’ll be tasked with guarding.
Joey Porter has faced numerous elite receivers through his two-year career, but he’s never played against Mike Evans and the Bucs. It’s normal for Porter to be excited for these matchups; he’s one of the more confident cornerbacks in the league. He had a terrific first season, locking down top receivers throughout the year. He didn’t take as large of a step forward in 2024 as some expected. But aside from penalty issues he had another great year.
That said, he won’t be facing opponents’ WR1s as much as he likes to. With Jalen Ramsey in town, Ramsey will see plenty of those matchups, as Mike Tomlin told the cornerbacks himself. With Ramsey’s resume, it’s makes sense, despite how good Porter has been so far. Still, Ramsey will likely move around the secondary. During snaps when he’s in the slot or at safety, Porter will likely get those WR1 matchups.
Heading into his third year, Porter’s in quite an advantageous situation. He’s progressing well and now has some extremely talented cornerbacks around him in Ramsey and Darius Slay. A young corner couldn’t really ask for more veteran help than Porter now has.
While he might not play during the Steelers’ final two preseason games, the joint practice offers Porter another chance to prepare for the upcoming season. He’s part of potentially the most confident and talented cornerback room in the league, and he’s relishing the chance to test himself Thursday against one of the game’s best receivers.
