Steelers Now
UNITY TWP, Pa. — Joey Porter Jr. and Jalen Ramsey will aim to neutralize opposing passing attacks this upcoming Pittsburgh Steelers season, but the two go further back than arriving at training camp together.
“Me and Joey, we got some kinda family ties going on,” Ramsey said Wednesday.
It’s much more of a familial feel than an actual relation between the two covermen.
“When he was at (the) Pro Bowl and my dad was a coach one year and I was in high school, he gave me a pair of his cleats,” Porter said Thursday. “So I always remembered that and we always had a good, little connection since then, so it’s kinda crazy. It’s a full-circle moment that I get to line up beside him now.”
#Steelers free agent addition Jalen Ramsey alluded to family ties with Joey Porter Jr. on Wednesday. Here’s Porter on that relationship: pic.twitter.com/DAiSW69jcU
— Brendan Howe (@bybrendanhowe) July 24, 2025
Porter still has the cleats, he said. He sported them while playing for North Allegheny High School. Now, instead of playing gear, he’ll try to soak in some knowledge from the 10th-year veteran who’s had stops in Jacksonville, Los Angeles and Miami.
“He’s been known in the league (for) a long time as a shutdown corner. I’m getting that rep now as a third-year guy,” Porter said. “I feel like it’s gonna do a lot of damage on the field.”
Porter also got to play alongside Patrick Peterson as a rookie in 2023. He recognizes the value of being in the same unit as much more seasoned standouts.
“I’ve been in a lucky position to have Hall of Fame guys each year, in my opinion, to come in and teach me the way of a DB,” Porter said. “I feel like I was put in a lucky situation, and I’ve just got to keep learning from them.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr. Reveals Prior Connection with Jalen Ramsey
