Tag: Joey Porter

Steelers CB officially OUT vs the Chiefs

The Steelers will once again be short handed in the defensive secondary.

The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the best teams in the NFL and the last thing they need is any help when it comes to their offense. Unfortunately, they will do so short-handedly in the secondary when the Pittsburgh Steelers square off with the Chiefs on Christmas Day.

On the same day that the Steelers found out they were getting cornerback Donte Jackson and safety DeShon Elliott back after injuries, it was announced that starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr. would be out on Wednesday.

The Chiefs have a strong group of wide receivers so it is less than ideal to not have Porter on the field. Without Porter in the starting lineup, look for James Pierre to get the start with Cory Trice Jr. working in as well.

Porter suffered an ankle injury early in last week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. He tried to return but was unable to go on. The Steelers playing on such a short rest definitely figured into Porter’s availability. Sam for wide receiver Ben Skowronek who is also out this week.

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Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. snubbed among top cornerbacks

Joey Porter Jr. was the best rookie cornerback in the NFL last season.

From the moment he was drafted in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has been playing with a chip on his shoulder. But everything worked out perfectly as Porter landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers where his dad was a legend.

Porter’s rookie season was about as good as you could ask from a young player. He quickly assumed the role of No. 1 cornerback for the Steelers and took great pride in shutting down the team’s opposing No. 1 receiver.

But when ESPN polled NFL executives, coaches and scouts, Porter failed to make the cut among the league’s Top 10 cornerbacks. In fact, Porter didn’t even get an honorable mention.

However, he was among a group of cornerbacks who did receive votes. Porter’s future is very bright as he has a chance to easily crack the top 1 next season if he continues to develop like he did over the course of the 2023 season.

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Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. set historical mark as a rookie

Joey Porter did something no other rookie cornerback has ever done before.

The demands on rookies in the NFL seem to go up significantly every year. Thankfully it seems as if rookies get to the league more prepared than ever before. Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers got themselves a great one in cornerback Joey Porter Jr.

Technically a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Porter ended up playing in all 17 games with 11 starts. On the season, Porter played 807 defensive snaps and did something no other rookie had ever done before. Porter only allowed 24 receptions, best of all time among rookie cornerbacks with at least 800 snaps.

Here’s how the top seven break down:

1) Joey Porter Jr.: 24
2) Sauce Gardner: 33
3) Marshon Lattimore: 36
4) Jaylon Johnson: 41
5) Pat Surtain II: 49
6) Jaire Alexander: 51
7) Jalen Ramsey: 54

Porter was the best rookie cornerback in the NFL last season. Porter took it very personally when he slid and saw four cornerbacks go ahead of him. But everything worked out perfectly as Porter was selected by the team where his father was a star and he gets to carry on that legacy.

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ESPN recommends the return of former Steelers cornerback

Ahkello Witherspoon is still an option for the Steelers to round out their cornerback depth chart.

With just a month to the start of training camp, the Pittsburgh Steelers still have some important roster decisions to make. The one everyone wants to talk about is that pesky wide receiver position but ESPN went in a different direction.

They projected one final move for each NFL team to make ahead of training camp and instead of a big swing for a receiver, they think the Steelers should bring back cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon.

Here’s what they had to say about bringing back Witherspoon:

Even with the arrival of Cameron Sutton to play in the slot, the Steelers could still use more veteran depth at corner. Witherspoon, a former Steeler, was surprisingly good for the Rams last season — he ranked 18th in success rate in coverage and 37th in coverage DVOA with 14 passes defensed. He will likely be inexpensive to sign, as he’s 29 years old and could back up all three Steelers starters.

Witherspoon was with the Steelers in 2021 and 2022 but suffered an injury-shortened second year. In 2021, Witherspoon got three starts late in the season and actually led the team with three interceptions.   While we are not opposed to the idea of Witherspoon returning to the team as depth along with Cory Trice Jr., if there is only one move the team makes, it has to be for a wide receiver.

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Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. rips on Commanders: ‘That name is trash’

Joey Porter Jr. rips on the Commanders name on IG Live.

Trash talk is the name of the game for NFL cornerbacks. Other than wide receivers, there’s no positional unit that can talk like cornerbacks can. This was on full display with Pittsburgh Steelers Joey Porter Jr. and Washington Commanders Emmanuel Forbes went on Instagram Live and starting throwing barbs back and forth.

But Porter definitely won the battle.

“That name is trash, Porter said. “Commanders sounds like an XFL name.”

The Washington franchise has been through its share of turmoil over its team name over the past several seasons so this one probably stings a little more. The Steelers and Commanders will square off in Washington in Week 10 so these two continue their banter then.

Forbes and Porter Jr. were both selected in the 2023 NFL draft. Forbes went No. 16 overall and Porter went No. 32. Porter outplayed Forbes all season and ended up one of the best rookies in the NFL. Forbes might not even be in the starting lineup to start the 2024 season while Porter has quickly established himself as one of the better cornerbacks in the AFC.

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Steelers 2024 offseason roster – Cornerbacks

The Steelers could need to add multiple cornerbacks this offseason.

Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were fortunate that then-rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was ready for prime time and stepped up in the second half of the season. Going into this offseason, the Steelers have several free agents at cornerback and could be looking for a big rebuild of the position. Here are the Steelers cornerbacks currently on the offseason roster.

4 Steelers takeaways from the NFL Honors

We are much more excited for Cam Heyward than we are disappointed or T.J. Watt.

Thursday night was the NFL Honors where the league gives out its big individual awards for the season. For whatever reason, this is something NFL fans, including Pittsburgh Steelers fans get heavily invested in. Let’s take a look at how things went for the Steelers and offer some takeaways.

Steelers 2023 end of the season superlatives

Let’s hand out our awards for the Steelers at the end of the season.

The 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers season is in the books and so it is time for us to hand out our end-of-the-season superlatives. There were some exceptional performances this season but not enough to help the Steelers get their first playoff win since 2016.

Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. among finalists for DROY

Could Joey Porter win Defensive Rookie of the Year?

The Associated Press released the list of five finalists for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Pittsburgh Steelers rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. used a strong final 11 games when he was inserted into the starting lineup. Here’s a full rundown of the finalists.

Steelers Allen Robinson and Joey Porter Jr. questionable to return

The Steelers lost two players quickly with possible concussions.

In a matter of just a few plays against the Buffalo Bills, the Pittsburgh Steelers sent two players to the locker room to be evaluated for concussions. The team announced that wide receiver Allen Robinson and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. were both questionable to return.

Porter had to come off after taking a cheap shot in the back from Bills offensive lineman Conner McGovern. Porter was in the midst of making a tackle when McGovern came up and slammed into Porter on his blindside.

The hit on Robinson was no better. A clear helmet-to-helmet hit on the tackle you could hear clearly on the replay, the officials felt no reason to throw the flag. There was also no flag on the hit on Porter.

Calvin Austin III came in for Robinson and caught a touchdown on the next drive. James Pierre replaced Porter in the secondary.

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