Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. wants to prove this season that he’s the best cornerback in the NFL. He’ll have a talented supporting cast around him in the secondary with Donte Jackson, Cam Sutton, DeShon Elliott and All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick.
In regards to the cornerback room, Porter thinks the sky’s the limit. He believes Cory Trice and Darius Rush can even make some noise.
“Man, they’ve been doing great so far,” Porter said at OTAs on Thursday. “I keep telling those guys every day, ‘We can really take this over if we just keep stacking days and doing what we’re supposed to do.’”
Trice missed his entire rookie year with a torn ACL. He’s been at all nine OTAs sessions and expects to be 100 percent once training camp starts in late July.
“We’re a young group, but in today’s league you need young, fast guys to keep up with these receivers,” Rush told Jarrett Bailey of Behind the Steel Curtain. “And we definitely have that.”
After an impressive rookie season, Porter could take a leap this season and solidify himself as an All-Pro and Pro Bowl corner.
Porter allowed a completion on just 47.4% of his targets in 2023, which was the lowest among all cornerbacks with 50+ targets, according to Pro Football Focus. In addition, Porter only gave up 50+ yards in the air in 2 out of his 17 games during his rookie season.
Porter said at OTAs that his goal this offseason was to add more weight and get stronger. He wants to bulk up from 200 pounds to 205 pounds.
“I feel good,” Porter said. “Really, I’m feeling confident right now. It was about five pounds, maybe. I’m really trying to play at 205 last year. I fluctuate from 198 to 200. It’s kinda weird because I’m big for my position, so being 200 was not a big deal for me. But at 205 I can be physical in the run game and on the line.”
Porter hopes the added strength will help him take his game to a new level.
“Covering No. 1 wide receivers forces you to grow up fast,” Porter said. “I feel like I took on that challenge and showed I could hang with them. That’s something hopefully I can continue to do this year.”
Nick Farabaugh contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.