Will Flying Beneath Radar Assist Joey Porter Jr. Develop?

Will flying under the radar help Joey Porter Jr. grow in his third season?

The Steelers drafted Joey Porter Jr., envisioning him as their lockdown cornerback, and then they acquired two of the best. Granted, Darius Slay is past his prime, and Jalen Ramsey is on the outskirts. Presumably, the team still views Porter as its future stud cornerback, but perhaps the reduced spotlight will do him good. Last season, he suffered through a couple of periods of sloppy play. Porter unnecessarily drew penalties he could have avoided, perhaps due to a lack of confidence. In such instances, it could be best to pull back and work in the shadows.

Like it or not, though, Porter is now in the shadows, surrounded by Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey. Even at this stage in their careers, they will still draw headlines. But they also have a lot of wisdom they can pass on to him, so hopefully he is listening.

This is a critical season for Joey Porter, as the Steelers will determine whether to sign him to an extension next offseason, or on what kind of contract, based on what he does this year. Arguably, he showed little to no growth last season, which may have them concerned.

Having high-profile players like Slay and Ramsey around will take some of the spotlight off him. But will they help him, or does he need to be in that spotlight to thrive? My guess is they will still use him as their primary cover corner in most instances, even if Slay thinks he can still do it. After all, if he isn’t doing that, then what is Porter doing on the field? Neither he nor Slay is fit to play inside, so that has to fall to Ramsey.

Likely due primarily to an interest in nurturing Joey Porter’s growth, the Steelers made a switch at defensive backs coach. Returning is Gerald Alexander, who worked as an assistant during Porter’s rookie season. Between a new coach and new on-field mentors, they are trying to develop him as best they can. And perhaps he will respond to that development process outside the limelight a little better—or perhaps not.

The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.

Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. While they ultimately traded George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The 2025 NFL Draft class is now behind us, so most of the roster construction is complete.

But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. At least we can finally put the Aaron Rodgers situation to bed and move on to other things. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go.