This Young Steelers Cornerback Can Take The Next Step In 2024
When Joey Porter Jr. became a Steeler, you knew he would live up to the hype. In his rookie season last year, he showed us that he could hang with all the top receivers in the NFL, and bad news for offenses everywhere: he’s only about to turn 24 years old.
Although it took some time for the Steelers brass to insert Porter into the starting lineup, once they did, he immediately showed them why he belonged among the elite corners in the NFL, asking coaches to shadow the other team’s best guy every week.
Steelers Finally Drafted A Lockdown Corner
Before Porter Jr. came along, the list of cornerbacks drafted by the Steelers was pretty abysmal. Guys like Artie Burns, Senquez Golson, and Sean Davis all didn’t work out, unfortunately, but it looks like the Steelers might’ve finally found a gem—of course, it’s the son of a former Steeler.
Porter Jr. struggled to get snaps his first couple of weeks with the Steelers, but everything changed for him in week five against the Ravens, where he saw his defensive snaps go up to 40% compared to his measly 14% in week four. Shocker, Porter Jr. made a play that changed the game, intercepting a ball in the endzone while in one-on-one coverage on Odell Beckham Jr. From then on, Porter Jr. was a near constant on the Steelers' defense for the rest of the year.
At the end of his rookie campaign, Porter Jr. had one interception on 10 passes defended and made 32 solo tackles out of his 43 total tackles. He ended the season allowing a completion on just 47.4% of his targets, the lowest in the entire NFL among corners with 20+ targets. That’s what Porter Jr meant when he said, “Nobody was doing what I was doing,” when he called himself the best corner in the NFL.
Is he the best corner in the NFL? Not yet. But you have to love the confidence, and the one-year of work he’s put together is pretty damn impressive. Plus, you always want your number one corner and wide receiver to be a little bit out there in terms of confidence, right? Looks like those Porter Jr. vs. George Pickens battles at training camp may be creating a couple of monsters.
Porter Jr. excelled on the “money downs” or third and fourth downs. He had the lowest QB Rating when targeted on third and fourth down among corners, with 20+ targets on those downs: 20.4. When it was time to lock up, Porter Jr put that seatbelt on. Deandre Hopkins, Amari Cooper, Puka Nacua, and DK Metcalf all got put on Porter Island last season.
Growing Up
The “King of the North” put together a resounding rookie season, but now for the toughest part of the NFL: consistency. It’s hard to be consistent in the NFL, especially at cornerback. This offseason saw the Steelers completely rework the corner room around Porter Jr. They went out and got Donte Jackson to be his number two. They also went out and brought Cameron Sutton back, who will likely assume the slot duties, leaving the big matchup on the other side for Porter Jr.
The Steelers slightly retooled the whole secondary around him, going out and signing Deshon Elliott to play strong safety and allowing Minkah Fitzpatrick to go back to playing his famous “Minkah Ball.” With Porter Jr and Fitzpatrick roaming around like sharks out there, good luck to opposing receiving cores.
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