Steelers Now
Joey Porter Jr. is entering his fourth season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and for the fourth consecutive season, he’ll have a new cornerback on the opposite sideline. Porter earned his first starting role in the middle of his rookie season in 2023, playing alongside veteran Patrick Peterson. In 2024, the Steelers traded for Donte Jackson, and in 2025, they sought out Darius Slay in the free agent market.
Those three players had mixed results with the Steelers. Jackson was good when he was healthy. Peterson got through the season fine, but it was clear he didn’t have much left in the tank. Slay did not even do that well.
It was clear that none of the three had the ability to man up opposing wide receivers wth any frequency, which was Porter’s top strength when he came out of Penn State. This season, they’ve gone back to the free agent pool, grabbing Jamel Dean from Tampa Bay.
Finally, Porter has a player with his man coverage chops, allowing the Steelers the freedom to use him however they see fit. So does that make them a top five cornerback duo in the NFL?
Alan Saunders joined Chris Carter on the Locked on Steelers podcast to discuss, along with the team’s better backups in 2026, and are they in a better place to deal with injuries this season?
Let’s get into it:
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Where Do Steelers CBs Rank among NFL’s Best? | Locked On
