It’s plain to see that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is easing his legacy rookie into the pro game. We all want to see Joey Porter Jr. on the field more, but that’s just not how Tomlin prefers to operate.
Tomlin feels confident with veterans Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson, but until Week 3’s win in Vegas, they’d be ineffective and, quite frankly, liabilities. Meanwhile, Porter, the team’s primary dime cornerback is finding his way into the lineup in situations other than dime.
Joey Porter Jr. snaps for the #Steelers:
Week 1 vs SF: 7
Week 2 vs CLE: 14
Week 3 at LVR: 27During those plays he's been targeted 5 times, allowing 1 catch for 12 yards. Also has a pass breakup.
— Christopher Carter (@CarterCritiques) September 25, 2023
On Sunday, Levi Wallace played 93 percent of snaps and Patrick Peterson played 99 percent of snaps. So you don’t see Porter moving in on either of those players anytime soon. However, what we are seeing is a diminished workload by slot cornerback Chandon Sullivan and that’s where Porter is seeing more time thanks to Peterson’s ability to play in the slot and let Porter work on the outside.
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