Steelers Now
The 2024 season for Joey Porter Jr. was a gentle reminder that development is far from linear for young players, even if their rookie seasons showed flashes of greatness. During his debut season with Pittsburgh, the Penn State product finished first in the NFL in EPA/target among 115 cornerbacks with at least 25 targets, according to SIS. For a player whose scheme specificity likely caused him to fall out of the first round entirely, the early returns were fantastic, and he was rewarded for his performance by being named to the first-team All-Rookie team by the PFWA. But last season, Porter’s numbers fell to 76th in that same metric, which can be heavily attributed to his league-leading 15 penalties.
From the outside looking in, it makes you wonder just how much that was taken into account when switching defensive backs coaches this offseason, knowing the rewards on his development could be sizable. Even after being unable to build off his strong start to his career, there’s little to suggest that significant cause for concern is necessary in this case, though. When you go back to the film, there are still a plethora of high-end reps of him blanketing quality pass catchers. The NFL is a space league, and it’s difficult for receivers to create separation from him, and his length is a major weapon to help close that gap. This is an example of a good, young player that is still a bit rough around the edges.
In other instances, when a team decides to bring in two accomplished cornerbacks like Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey, it could raise some eyebrows about their faith in a young player at the same position. From the Steelers standpoint, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The roles and responsibilities of the three covermen will become ever more apparent as we get further into the summer, but I would make the argument that Porter is actually the biggest beneficiary of the Steelers’ most eventful offseason in quite some time. It’s one thing to infuse new teachings from a coach, but being able to lean on two mentors with impeccable NFL resumes should prove invaluable for the youngsters.
Both Slay and Ramsey are two very different cornerbacks from a stylistic standpoint, further proving that there’s more than one way to get the job done effectively. But there are elements from each of their games that Porter would be wise to try and emulate. Let’s talk about the reigning Super Bowl champ first.
In an interview with ESPN’s Mina Kimes, Slay declared that he’s going to help increase Porter’s turnover production after securing just two interceptions dating back to college. As the sports active leader in pass breakups with 160 (7th all-time in NFL history), he’s definitely in the upper echelon of playmaking cornerbacks of the modern era. The primary reason for that production is because he’s a technical savant with an expertise in route recognition and the fundamentals of the position. Slay has outstanding...
