Joey Porter Jr. Uncertain of Future Role in Steelers Defense

PITTSBURGH — Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. hopes each week that his play does the talking for him and that he will see more snaps than usual in the coming weeks. Week 5 against the Ravens appeared to be that breakthrough, where Porter played about 40 percent of the snaps, notching the critical interception down the stretch to turn the tide of the game into the Steelers favor after a Gunner Olszewski fumble.

However, Porter is still unsure how much he will play ahead of their Week 7 clash with the Rams in Los Angeles. So far this season, Porter has not played more snaps than either Patrick Peterson or Levi Wallace in a game, although he has rotated in with them. But the Steelers have not clarified to him how that role will continue to evolve.

“I really don’t know,” Porter said. “It’s always up to the coaches and stuff. I just have to stay ready and prepared.”

Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that guys such as Joey Porter Jr. are impressing him, but there is a plan for how they will approach those rookies and their playing time. For right now, it does not seem like Porter starting is in the cards, but he may continue to rotate into the game at a higher rate than he previously was before the Ravens game. But as for now, he is still a primarily sub-package player.

“I think with each week, they are getting better,” Tomlin said. “So, there are several variables at play. It’s what it is that they do and the quality in which they do it, but it’s also about opportunity, and such is always the case with team play. Things and decisions don’t happen in a vacuum. You can be somewhat pleased with the progress of a player, in terms of the direction that they’re moving, but the opportunity has to be there. And so, we challenge all of these guys to not be patient. This is not a patient person’s business. It doesn’t behoove them to be patient. We ask them to work while they wait for their opportunity and then put their readiness of display. And to this point, some of the guys you’re asking about, Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr., have done a really good job of that. And we’ll wait for continued opportunities and increase the opportunities for them and check their progress moving forward.”

That means that Porter should play more heading into the future. But for now, his role will stay stagnant. It’s a questionable decision given the level of play that Porter has shown compared to his peers in the room, but Pittsburgh has a plan for him and they will stick to it.