When the Pittsburgh Steelers remade their cornerback group in the offseason, adding two decorated veteran starters, they had this upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bengals as a litmus test.

Having cornerbacks who could cover the Bengals’ star receiver duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins was utmost in coach Mike Tomlin’s thoughts when he recruited Darius Slay. It also contributed to the Steelers trading for Jalen Ramsey in the summer.

The Steelers face the Bengals on Thursday night at Paycor Stadium for the first of their two annual matchups.

“You better have some corners taller than me if you’re dealing with the likes of Tee Higgins and people like that,” said Tomlin, who is about 5-foot-11. “Certainly, that’s something that we talked about as a collective, the intimacy of divisional relationships. It’s just a component of the game.”

A component that didn’t weigh in the Steelers’ favor last season. Although the Steelers split the season series with the Bengals, they had difficulty stopping Cincinnati’s dynamic duo.

In the first meeting, a 44-38 road victory, the Steelers watched the 6-foot Chase and 6-4 Higgins combine for 11 catches on 19 targets for 155 yards and one touchdown apiece. In the regular-season finale at Acrisure Stadium, Chase had 10 catches on 14 targets for 96 yards and a touchdown to help Cincinnati to a 19-17 victory.

Joey Porter Jr. started at cornerback in both games. His running mate in the secondary was Donte Jackson in the first matchup and Cory Trice in the second. Trice, a tall yet rarely used corner, allowed eight catches for 80 yards and a score to Chase while in coverage.

In the offseason, the Steelers swapped out the 5-10 Jackson for Slay, a former Pro Bowl and All-Pro corner who is listed at 6-foot. Ramsey, another multi-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection, is 6-1.

“They were absolutely in mind because of the firepower they have on offense,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “We wanted to be able to combat that in a lot of different ways. Hopefully, we can have some situations where we match up better than we have in the past. Maybe it gets us opportunities to play things a little differently.”

The Bengals have lost four in a row without injured quarterback Joe Burrow, but their passing offense looked rejuvenated behind Joe Flacco in a 27-18 loss at Green Bay. Acquired only a few days earlier, Flacco found Chase for 10 completions, 94 yards and one touchdown. Higgins caught five passes for 62 yards.

“They’ve added an experienced passer, but in terms of what they do and how they do it, they are going to run their offense,” Austin said. “They have to run their offense because those guys are that good. Joe helps them because he gives them a veteran arm, a steady presence to deliver the ball in tight spaces down the field.”

One of the few holdover members of the secondary is Porter, who returned from a three-game absence because of a hamstring injury Sunday when the Steelers held Cleveland to 248 total yards in a 23-9 victory. Porter had two pass breakups and five tackles in the game.

At 6-2, Porter is the tallest starting corner on the Steelers roster, and he’s just two inches shorter than Higgins. He, too, was drafted in 2023 with the Bengals’ tandem in mind.

“Coach Tomlin told us from the jump at training camp, we got all of us for a reason,” Porter said. “Every corner, every DB, he picked for a reason, to lock these guys and be able to play man (coverage) across the board.”

Porter was called for six penalties — four were accepted — in the Steelers’ victory in Cincinnati last season. He was called three times for pass interference, twice for holding and once for illegal use of the hands. To show his dissatisfaction with the officiating and to prove he could cover Higgins, Porter wore yellow gloves in the rematch and wasn’t flagged. While Chase was taking advantage of Trice, Higgins had just four catches for 53 yards and no touchdowns with Porter as his primary defender.

Porter isn’t sure whether he’ll be tasked with shadowing Higgins or whether the Steelers will keep him on one side with Slay on the other and Ramsey floating around the secondary between the outside corner spots, slot corner and free safety.

“We’ve looked at the quality of our guys, and we feel comfortable playing them left, right, moving them around,” Austin said. “Being where we are, letting guys sink down. We feel good about the matchups most of the time.”

Slay is looking forward to his first matchup against the Bengals in a Steelers uniform. He’s aware of what awaits the team’s stable of cornerbacks.

“I take every game seriously that we can run and cover anybody,” he said, “but I know it’s a big emphasis because of what they are capable of on the other side. We can do that with anybody. It’s going to be a fun game.”

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