Steelers Now
A former cornerback of the Pittsburgh Steelers doesn’t think Joey Porter Jr. has reached his ceiling yet.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will likely soon make Joey Porter Jr. one of the top-paid cornerbacks in the league, and former Steelers cornerback Joe Haden thinks that would be a very smart thing to do.
Haden believes this because he thinks Porter’s best football is still ahead, and he recently revealed why.
“I’ve been talking to him because he’s been going off natural ability. He’s lining up versus dudes like, ‘I’m 6’3”, 210 [pounds]. You can’t get open on me,’” Haden said on his Deebo & Joe podcast. “At the golf outing event, I’m talking to him about, ‘Now, you know what you’re doing. Now, you’re starting to look at those splits.’”
If that is true, the Steelers could be getting a steal with whatever contract they end up giving Porter.
The 25-year-old has already established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the league during his three seasons in Pittsburgh, recording 165 tackles, one sack, 31 passes defensed and three interceptions.
He has also allowed just one touchdown pass in his NFL career, and that was in 2023 as a rookie.
However, if Porter can take his game to another level, he could become one of the NFL’s best players, which is something Haden doesn’t think he’s far from being.
“You keep going out there, playing one-on-ones with the dude, it don’t matter what he’s running because you can strap him,” Haden continued. “I said, ‘But how much better would you feel now when you know he’s running a slant and you just playing with him like you don’t know.’ Now, you get into that position and the slants coming, and you bated him. Now, you’re playing one-on-ones, you’re walking out there, ‘I’m gonna guard you no matter what you got. … It’s me and you. You’re not gonna catch the ball.’”
The biggest knock against Porter throughout the start of his NFL career has been his penalties, but he even cut those nearly in half in 2025, going from 17 in 2024 to just nine a season ago.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former Steelers CB Explains Why Joey Porter Jr.’s Best is Yet to Come
