Joey Porter Jr. Wins Steelers Rookie of Year Award

PITTSBURGH — Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has been named as the winner of the 2023 Joe Greene Great Performance Award which is annually given by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America to the team’s most outstanding rookie.

Porter, the son of former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter Sr., is the third cornerback in franchise history to win the award and first since Chad Scott won it in 1997. The other cornerback to win the award was Denton Hall in 1987.

Porter was named as a starter for the first time in his NFL career in Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and has played as well as any other cornerback in the league since. While there is one more regular season game to be played, Porter has recorded 29 solo tackles and one interception while mostly shadowing the opposing team’s top wide receiver since he became a full-time starter.

Porter was drafted with the 32nd overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Steelers acquired the pick to draft Porter by trading the drama-filled Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears on Nov. 1, 2022. Porter began the year as a depth corner behind Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace but due to his high level of play, he started the last 10 games as the team’s primary coverage cornerback.

Full list of Joe Greene Award winners:

1984 WR Louis Lipps
1985 P Harry Newsome
1986 LB Anthony Henton
1987 CB Denton Hall
1988 RB Warren Williams
1989 SS Carnell Lake
1990 TE Eric Green
1991 TE Adrian Cooper
1992 FS Darren Perry
1993 LB Chad Brown
1994 RB Bam Morris
1995 QB Kordell Stewart
1996 FB Jon Witman
1997 CB Chad Scott
1998 OG Alan Faneca
1999 WR Troy Edwards
2000 FB Dan Kreider
2001 LB Kendrell Bell
2002 OG Kendall Simmons
2003 S Troy Polamalu
2004 QB Ben Roethlisberger
2005 TE Heath Miller
2006 WR Santonio Holmes
2007 P Daniel Sepulveda
2008 LB Patrick Bailey
2009 WR Mike Wallace
2010 C Maurkice Pouncey
2011 OT Marcus Gilbert
2012 OT Mike Adams
2013 RB Le’Veon Bell
2014 WR Martavis Bryant
2015 LB Bud Dupree
2016 S Sean Davis
2017 WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
2018 S Terrell Edmunds
2019 LB Devin Bush
2020 WR Chase Claypool
2021 RB Najee Harris
2022 QB Kenny Pickett
2023 CB Joey Porter Jr.

Alan Saunders and Nick Farabaugh of Steelers Now are members of the PFWA and voted on the Joe Greene Award.