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The Pittsburgh Steelers added Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay in the offseason, but remain high on budding star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. While still seeking improvement from the former second-round pick, Mike Tomlin has liked what he has seen thus far from Porter during the Steelers’ training camp.
The Steelers have wanted Porter to be more physical for a while, and believe he has taken strides in the 2025 offseason. Tomlin complimented his third-year cornerback’s growth in that area during the team’s first day of padded practice.
“It’s just a one-day sample,” Tomlin said, via ‘The Athletic.’ “For me, it’s about putting good, consecutive days together and displaying consistency. Certainly, he had a good one today.”
Tomlin specifically referred to a fight Porter got into with veteran receiver Robert Woods. While not ideal in most situations, the Steelers “value physical cornerbacks who aren’t afraid to run to the fight,” per ‘The Athletic.’ Two years into his career, Porter has established himself as an above-average yet soft-spoken defender.
After a standout rookie season, Porter improved in the physical aspects of the game in year two. He recorded 70 tackles in 2024, as opposed to 43 in 2023. While his coverage numbers took a slight hit, he was much more effective as a tackler near the line of scrimmage.
Although many expect Ramsey and Slay to take over the Steelers’ secondary, the team still lists Porter as their starter. Pittsburgh has been experimenting with using Ramsey as a nickelback in training camp. Ramsey played 185 of his 1,027 snaps in 2024 in the slot.
Ramsey and Slay are both more established than Porter, but both are also much older. Slay, 34, could also spend a considerable amount of time in the slot. Ramsey, 30, has still looked elite, but is already showing minor signs of an impending athletic decline.
The most likely scenario will have all three top cornerbacks rotate on the outside and in the slot. Neither player has been known to spend much time in the slot, but the transition from outside cornerback to nickelback is much simpler than vice versa. However, considering the slot defender has to be much more physical, the Steelers might want to keep Porter on the outside for the time being.
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