The Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 rookie class was a productive group. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was the most productive player of the bunch. Selected 32nd overall, the first pick of the second round, Porter Jr. quickly became a cornerstone of Pittsburgh’s defense. Heading into his second season, Porter will be one of the most important players on a loaded Steelers defense.
Joey Porter Jr. Sophomore Season Outlook
Rookie Season Recap
Joey Porter Jr. had an extremely successful rookie season for the Steelers. As they typically do with their rookies, Pittsburgh brought Porter along slowly. He played less than 50% of defensive snaps in each of the first five games of the season. A strong showing against the divisional rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 5, including a game-changing endzone interception of Lamar Jackson, propelled Porter to more playing time and ultimately the starting lineup. He played 95% or more of defensive snaps in each of Pittsburgh’s final 10 games, including 100% of snaps in seven games.
How often CBs line up against opposing WR1s (based on target rate), and how well they do at preventing separation against them on all snaps. Average separation grade allowed vs WR1s is pretty low for obvious reasons pic.twitter.com/yLNavrWSOU
— Arjun Menon (@arjunmenon100) December 29, 2023
As a rookie, Porter was so good he put an end to a key principle of Pittsburgh’s defense in recent history. For years, Steelers cornerbacks have stuck to a side of the field, rather than one player shadowing the opponent’s best receiver. Even while covering the top opposing receiver more than anyone in the NFL, Porter still graded very strongly in coverage. According to Pro Football Focus, Porter allowed a reception every 19.7 coverage snaps, the third-best mark in the league.
Joey Porter Jr.: 19.7 coverage snaps per reception allowed in 2023
3rd among all CBs 📈 pic.twitter.com/YfDEN4l51f
— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) March 27, 2024
Porter legitimately established himself as one of the NFL’s best cover corners as a rookie. He was dominant in man coverage. As the season went on, his tackling greatly improved, too. After one year, Pittsburgh looks to have found their franchise cornerback.
Setting Expectations for 2024
Following such an exceptional rookie season, it’s easy to set second-season expectations for Joey Porter Jr. He simply needs to show more of the same performance he showed as a rookie. There’s no doubt he will follow the opponent’s best receiver every week. This will result in explosive matchups with Ja’Marr Chase (2x), Amari Cooper (2x), CeeDee Lamb, Garrett Wilson, Michael Pittman Jr., and A.J. Brown. Facing this lineup of receivers, Porter will have his letdowns like any corner would. Sustaining a high level of coverage on an every-down basis is all the Steelers can ask for.
Reducing Penalties
One major area of improvement for Porter in his second season will be cutting back on penalties. He had eight accepted penalties against him in his rookie season. Luckily for Porter and the Steelers, the majority of his penalties were due to being too aggressive and physical with his hands. The penalties were not a matter of him getting beat and committing defensive pass interference to prevent a big completion. Porter’s physicality is his strongest trait, so a high number of penalties as a rookie was not surprising. As he matures as a player, he will learn to maintain the same level of physicality without getting penalized. When he does that, he will truly be a complete and elite cornerback.
Overall, it would be difficult to expect Joey Porter Jr. to repeat his rookie season statistically in 2024. He will essentially play every snap for the Steelers and will be covering the opponent’s best player on each of those snaps. He will get beat at times. A successful season will see Porter remain strong in coverage, cut back on the penalties, and limit the production of opposing top receivers.
Main Photo: [Charles LeClaire] – USA Today Sports
