The Pittsburgh Steelers made the Porter family and fans very happy when the organization selected Joey Porter Jr. with the first pick of the second round in the 2023 NFL Draft. The long rangy cornerback who played his high school football at Northside Catholic and North Allegney before going to Penn State will continue playing his football in Pennsylvania for the foreseeable future. Defensive Coordinator, Teryl Austin wouldn't go further than "we'll know," while addressing when the former Nitty Lion could be the starter. Steelers insider for The Athletic, Mark Kaboly provided much more clarity on the situation and believes Porter will be a starter for Week 1.
Steph Chambers / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers Joey Porter Jr takes a break during a high school scrimmage in 2018 with North Allegheny.
Kaboly joined the PM Team on 93.7 the Fan with regular host Chris Mueller, and Colin Dunlap, filling in for Andrew Fillipponi while he's on paternity leave. Dunlap wondered how the battle breaks down for the starting corner role between Porter and veterans Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson.
"I think it's pretty much written in stone that Porter starts Week 1," he said. "I mean they're moving Peterson around to cover different receivers. Peterson's a little long in the tooth too. So, maybe Porter does play 95% of the snaps with Wallace and Peterson out in the base defense."
Kaboly conceded that Porter might just be the best option the team has to start at cornerback. The rest of the room includes guys like James Pierre and Chandon Sullivan who are more likely to be role players than starters. Porter may not have the experience some others have in the league, but has the intangibles to be a long-term answer. The best way for him to develop those skills might just be to play a lot.
Even if he doesn't play a lot, there's a pathway to playing time. He'll be fighting with and sharing snaps with Wallace outside. Peterson, as Kaboly mentioned, is going to be moving around, so there will be packages where they need Porter to jump in.
Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' rookie cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. participate in the team's OTA's in Pittsburgh, PA.
Steelers' Defensive Coordinator, Teryl Austin said in the introductory press conference for Porter that there wouldn't be anything like a red-shirt year for the Penn State product. If he plays in the range of snaps that Kaboly outlined, that's about as far from a dip your toes in approach as you can get. That's more like tossing him into the deep end and seeing if he can swim.
The Steelers face off against two of the scariest weapons at receiver in the game to start the year. In Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers, the defense will be tasked with trying to contain the weapon that is Deebo Samuel. That won't be purely on the number one corner as Sameul lines up just about anywhere, but it is certainly an early challenge.
Then in Week 3, the team travels west to the desert for a bout against the Las Vegas Raiders. They have a certain fellow named Davante Adams who is widely regarded as one of the top matchup nightmares in the league. The Raiders might not have a full attack on offense to scare you in 2023, but Adams will definitely still find ways to beat teams.
Steelers Porter Potentially Facing 1 Off-Field Hurdle To Starting Time
Kaboly said the only way that Porter is not the starter on September 10, 2023, is if he plays himself out of it with an awful training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. Porter won't get to show anyone anything in Latrobe as things stand right now. Players report to training camp on Wednesday, July 26 but Porter doesn't have a contract yet.
Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers Joey Porter Jr practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex as part of the team's minicamp on June 13, 2023.
According to former sports agent, Leigh Steinberg, the NFL's collective bargaining agreement allows rookies to participate in minicamps and organized team activities before signing a contract, which is why we saw clips from many of the Steelers rookies coming out earlier in the summer. If they don't have a contract to start camp, they become a holdout.
Veteran Steelers columnist, Dejan Kovacevic stated he doesn't think Porter will be a training camp holdout but as time ticks, that could be a real possibility. It's one that does no favors to Porter or the organization. He can't play himself in or out of any role if he's not there at all.
Do you think Porter Jr is the best option to start at one of the outside spots? How would a holdout affect that? Comment below!
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