Steelers Now
Last season, Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was the most penalized cornerback in the league, but having a Super Bowl champion to learn from in Darius Slay could be beneficial.
Slay revealed in a recent interview with Mina Kimes of ESPN that he wants to not only help fix Porter’s issues with penalties, but also improve his game in the interceptions department. Porter has only two INTs through his first two seasons.
“They say he can’t catch, but we’re gonna fix that,” Slay told Kimes. “We’re gonna catch the rock this year.”
Slay has recorded 28 interceptions in his decorated career. The 34-year-old cornerback is a Super Bowl champion, eight-time Pro Bowler and has a first-team All-Pro selection (2017) under his belt. Slay hopes to give Porter and the Steelers young cornerbacks he same wisdom that he passed down to Philadelphia Eagles rookie cornerbacks Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell last season during their Super Bowl title run.
“I have a good resume with younger guys, trying to help build them,” Slay said. “That’s my job. I’m just here to help him, do everything I can to make sure he succeeds at what he does. And try to get him to be one of the best in the game.”
New Steelers CB Darius Slay is in a division now with two of the best QBs in football. Which offense presents a greater challenge—BAL or CIN?
Had fun interviewing him about his new team, the Super Bowl, underrated receivers and more: https://t.co/mXaninyDmF pic.twitter.com/Ew8ptcht8N
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) June 19, 2025
Third-year cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is one of the more promising defenders on the Steelers. He attributes his early success in the NFL to something not a lot of younger players get: The opportunity to learn from multiple vets.
Porter revealed at OTAs that the addition of Slay will have lasting effects on him past just the 2025 season.
“I told him I used to watch his tape growing up,” Porter said. “I know a lot of guys don’t like when I say that because they feel old, but he’s been in this league for a long time. He’s a great vet. I’ve had some great vets before him. I’m just happy to have him in the building and keep learning from him.”
Slay isn’t the first veteran that Porter has had the chance to learn from to start his NFL career. As a rookie, Porter got to work with likely future Hall of Famer Patrick Peterson. In 2024, he got to learn from Donte Jackson, who led Pittsburgh with five interceptions.
Aaron Becker contributed reporting for this story.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Veteran CB Darius Slay Wants to Take Joey Porter Jr’s Game to the Next Level: ‘We’re Gonna Fix That’
