Gerald Alexander is in Pittsburgh to coach the entire Steelers’ secondary. Still, Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay are vets who don’t need many pointers. Give them a good game plan and freedom to make plays and they’ll deliver. Alexander’s most important moldable piece if third-year cornerback Joey Porter Jr., entering a big year where he could soar as a lockdown corner or falter to muddy his future.
“Obviously, just reflecting on some of the things that he had last year, a lot of it had to do with the penalties,” Alexander said in a training camp interview with The Trib’s Tim Benz, who aired the discussion Thursday. “Joey is an aggressive player, especially at the line of scrimmage with his hands. And so at that point, it’s how do we focus on the result that we want beyond the line of scrimmage where I think he’s very effective.
“And so now it’s just kind of getting him to train his mindset, to trust his technique, trust his transition. Get his eyes back to be able to find the ball when it’s in the air to be able to go make a play. And that really has been the emphasis throughout the course, whether it be him or other perimeter corners, to just try to get your head around when there’s an opportunity to make a play on the football.”
Alexander brought up the penalty portion of Porter’s game unprompted, though the issue is the elephant in the room. He picked up flags in bunches last season, including six of them in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Brining a playmaking mentality to the Steelers, Alexander returns for a second stint coaching the team. He served as an assistant in 2022 and 2023 before landing a job as the Las Vegas Raiders’ safety coach in 2024. This offseason, Alexander replaced Grady Brown as Pittsburgh’s secondary coach.
Porter could use more splash plays. His size, length, and athleticism give him high-end coverage tools but interceptions have never been his strength. He picked off just one pass at Penn State and has two in two years with the Steelers. Turnovers aren’t the only measure of success but to combat modern NFL offenses and mesh with a Pittsburgh defense that leads the NFL in takeaways since 2019, Porter needs to put his hand in the pile more often.
More importantly, focusing on the ball will naturally reduce penalties. Cornerbacks are easy target when there’s contact with eyes on the receiver. A defensive back and receiver making contact while both playing the football can be excused as incidental and jockeying for position.
During camp, CB Beanie Bishop Jr. said Alexander’s mission was to make his group less “robotic.” Porter, for all his talent, has felt a little stiff in coverage and freeing up his mind could improve his technique, increase his production, and make for one of the NFL’s top young corners.
