Entering 3rd season with Steelers, Joey Porter Jr. feeling 'sense of urgency' to be elite corner

Joey Porter Jr. is a member of a draft class that has produced three starters, two prominent backups and two contributors for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

All seven picks from the 2023 draft remain with the organization as they enter their third NFL seasons. Porter is entering his second full year as a starter at cornerback as are tackle Broderick Jones and defensive lineman Keeanu Benton. Outside linebacker Nick Herbig and tight end Darnell Washington are key contributors, and Cory Trice and Spencer Anderson have received playing time because of injuries to others.

Porter believes it’s time for his class to rise up in 2025.

“We’re not rookies,” said Porter, the No. 32 overall pick that year. “We’re not kids. We all have that sense of urgency.”

Perhaps nobody is more urgent to impress than Porter, the corner from North Allegheny and Penn State who will turn 25 early in training camp.

Porter thought he would have a breakthrough season in 2024, and he publicly displayed his expectations of being one of the elite players at his position.

It just didn’t work out as planned.

Porter, by most measures, took a step backward in his second NFL season. The only category in which he led the league was penalties, drawing an alarming 17 infractions, including playoffs.

His Pro Football Focus coverage grade, which is a subjective statistic, was No. 58 among cornerbacks who played at least 50% of all snaps in 2024, counting postseason. By comparison, new corner teammates Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey were ranked No. 12 and No. 19, respectively.

“It’s really about cleaning up the little stuff I watched on tape,” Porter said during spring workouts. “When I go back on tape, there’s nothing really drastic that sticks out. There is nobody out there beating me by yards. There are little things to clean up in my technique. I feel like I’ve been working on that during the offseason, so I’m really excited to put that on tape.”

When Porter left minicamp in June for the Steelers’ summer break, he was taking starting snaps at one outside cornerback spot with Slay manning the other. Then, the Steelers swung a blockbuster trade with Miami and brought in Ramsey, a three-time first-team All-Pro selection.

With training camp starting in less than two weeks, Porter will have two decorated veterans to push him to heights he didn’t reach last season. The offseason moves should provide motivation for Porter to show he belongs on the same field as Slay and Ramsey.

“We are all looking forward to this year,” Porter said before the Ramsey trade occurred. “We all know what we have to work on and fix this year. We’re looking forward to coming out and correcting our wrongs.”

As a rookie, Porter held opposing receivers to 27 catches for 404 yards, one touchdown and a 47.4% completion percentage. He also was flagged 12 times.

In 2024, while making five more starts, Porter yielded 52 catches for 642 yards and one touchdown. He allowed receptions on 66.7% of passes thrown in his direction while often drawing the opposing top receiver.

Then there were the penalties, which came in bunches. He had multiple infractions in four games, was flagged for holding seven times and defensive pass interference on six occasions. Twice, he was cited for illegal use of hands.

Defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander, who returned to the Steelers after a year with the Las Vegas Raiders, wants Porter to trust his instincts while improving his technique.

“There is a process to having success within a given play and not dealing with the error of penalizing yourself due to maybe a lack of technique in a route,” Alexander said. “Joey does a great job. … He’s an elite guy at the line of scrimmage in terms of disrupting releases, getting his hands on (players). It’s really post-snap. It’s not getting aggressive beyond that combative stage within those five yards.

“It’s time to trust his transition, his process and coverage ability when he’s in position to defend the ball downfield. It’s getting his eyes up and going for the ball instead of thinking about not letting the receiver get the ball.”

Alexander replaces Grady Brown, whose contract was not renewed. In 2023, Porter’s rookie season, Alexander was the Steelers’ assistant coach in the secondary. He also has worked with Porter on his mental approach to playing cornerback.

“It comes down to playing to win and not playing not to lose,” he said. “Play the ball downfield and not worry about the receiver catching it. It’s not thinking about failure but (it’s) how do I put myself in position to finish this play versus preventing (the receiver) from making one.”

For the three-day minicamp, Porter took measures to be matched up against No. 1 wide receiver DK Metcalf, a two-time Pro Bowl pick who has averaged 1,000 receiving yards over his six NFL seasons.

“I’m always happy to go against those type of talents,” Porter said. “I know what I want to accomplish on my side. I love it. … I’m going to work him, and he’s going to work me. It’s going to be pretty fun.”

One thing Porter isn’t going to do is change the color of gloves he wears on game day. It has been mentioned that Porter should wear the same color gloves as the opponent’s jersey so any contact won’t be as evident.

“I’m not focusing on that at all,” he said. “I get asked about that often. I know there are bigger things I have to clean up in my game, and that’s lower on the list.”