Steelers Have Emerging Player in Joey Porter Jr.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Steelers may have something in Joey Porter Jr. Pittsburgh’s rookie cornerback continues to earn more playing time. After the struggles of Levi Wallace throughout the game, Porter got inserted back into the lineup in base, just like he was against the Ravens. That is when Puka Nacua, who had a monster game, became neutralized. Porter stepped up and made several plays.

“We’re gonna see each other again most definitely,” Porter said. “He did good today, but I gave him some work though. It’s all fun and games.”

Porter’s trash talk game got some work against Nacua’s back-and-forth style of trash talk. But Nacua has some traits that make him hard to cover, even for a guy like Joey Porter Jr., who is playing at a high level. He makes catches that most players simply should not make. That’s what makes him such a remarkable rookie. But Porter had him in a bind at several points, including one critical third-down stop.

“It was good, going into the week we were the two favorite matchups as rookies and we went out there and competed,” Porter said. “He’s a good player. I’m glad we got work on the field with him.”

Mike Tomlin saw Porter play at such a high level that explained what Porter did against Nacua. When he helped shut down the passing offense for the Rams in the second half, Tomlin described Porter as ‘standing’ on his head to go toe to toe with Nacua.

“Look like he stood up like a big dog, but we expect him to,” Tomlin said. That’s why we’re excited about getting him where we got him in the draft.”

Veteran Patrick Peterson has taken the young cornerback under his wing all year. Peterson hoped to see the young player have that type of performance. And to say the least, from soaking up all the knowledge that Peterson gave him throughout the summer, he now sees some of those exploits from working so hard and endlessly.

“Man, I can’t say enough about Joey,” Peterson said. “That was a big game from him. He’s a young guy who’s still learning, but he’s like a sponge. He soaks up information from everyone, and that’s great to see in a young guy.”

Porter has yet to start officially, but his snap counts continue to climb each week. While he has rough edges in his game, like tackling concerns and some miscommunication in zone coverages, Porter remains one of the more promising rookies in the entire 2023 NFL Draft to this point.

MORE TAKEAWAYS FROM STEELERS WIN OVER THE RAMS

• Steelers Takeaways: Kenny Pickett is Clutch, Joey Porter’s Issues
• Steelers late magic spurs team to win over Rams
• George Pickens admits rams got under his skin
• Rams don’t blame refs for loss