Steelers Have Emerging Star in Lockdown Joey Porter Jr.

PITTSBURGH — He did it again. Joey Porter Jr. seems to have a thing for the dramatic, a flair that most cornerbacks do not carry with them at the clip he is does, but with that, he brings shutdown potential, too. The Steelers’ rookie cornerback is one of the more unique players in all of football, but one of the position’s most promising young stars already.

Each week, we keep saying that Joey Porter Jr. can not stop everyone. The rookie is on a tear and eliminating top receivers consistently. Even when those players, like Tee Higgins, go off for over 100 yards, he gets shut down when Porter is in proximity. Higgins did most of his work away from Porter, who covered him on 32 of his 40 routes. He caught just one reception for 15 yards whenever he got targeted against Porter.

Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. against the Cleveland Browns, Nov. 19, 2023 – Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

Porter’s length and grabbiness make him a frustrating player at times. He got called for the thirteenth penalty on Saturday, a holding call near the top of the league. But Porter’s length and aggressiveness are what makes him great. Honestly, you live with the penalties to bring out the dog in him that makes him fit for these types of matchups.

“I am not going to let that alter my game,” Porter said. “I know what I got going on, and I feel like I am doing a good job. Once you start second-guessing your ability, you start playing bad. And I am not going to let that happen. So if I get a flag, it’s like, ‘Whatever, next play,’ and I am going to keep on working.”

That’s just the mentality that Porter brings to the table and the one he needs to have. Defensive coordinator and secondary coach Grady Brown has challenged him to get better from all of that. He needs to improve. But where it stands right now, Porter’s a young player looking to grow his game in the best manner. Using his best attributes and accommodating what he does is the best way.

In other words, Porter will learn how to get those penalties down throughout his career. But he has special length and skills you can not teach, and we are not even talking about a guy with the technical base to go with the wildly intriguing natural ability. For the team, that’s an exciting proposition for their young cornerback’s future.