Steelers' Mike Tomlin Said Expect To See An Increase In Joey Porter Jr.'s Playing Time

The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to snag Joey Porter Jr. with their first pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. During his time in Pittsburgh, Porter has not disappointed, which has fans wondering why he has not seen more playing time through the first two weeks of the season. The clamor for him to play more has only intensified on the heels of Porter having a big pass breakup during the Week 2 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. 

Porter, a cornerback, who played college football for the University of Penn State, is the son of former Steelers great, Joey Porter Sr. During his time at Penn State, Porter had 113 combined tackles, but only one sack and one interception. This lack of interceptions is something that has been considered a knock against him. 

When Porter announced he was going out for the draft in 2023, he was criticized for being a bit too physical and for not getting those key interceptions. There were however a lot of positives mentioned about him as well - his strength, his speed, his hand usage, and his ability to be able to match up against opponents.

Steelers fans loved what they saw from Porter during his time in college and the campaign to have him drafted with Pittsburgh's first pick began in earnest. Of course, his pedigree and the fact that he is a Pittsburgh native (and Nittany Lion) all added to the fervor. 

General Manager Omar Khan knew better than the fans. He used the first-round pick on a much-needed offensive lineman in Broderick Jones. Fans nearly lost their minds, they felt certain that Porter would be gone by the time they picked next. But the Steelers had the 32nd pick. It came to them as a result of the Chase Claypool trade with the Chicago Bears. That pick was technically in the second round, but felt like the last pick in the first round because the Miami Dolphins had to forfeit their first-round pick.  

Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. Should Expect To See A More Expanded Role

During training camp, we saw Porter matched up against incredible second-year wide receiver, George Pickens. Pickens garnered a lot of attention during his rookie season for his uncanny ability to make contested catches. While Pickens was able to get the best of Porter quite a bit, the young corner never quit and never appeared to be frustrated. 

During the 2023 preseason games, we got to see what we had hoped to see, Porter getting an interception. While playing the Buffalo Bills during the Week 2 preseason match up, Porter picked off Matt Barkley's pass. It might have only been preseason, but it felt like a portent of how disruptive he will be to opposing offenses.  

As the regular season games began, it was clear that Porter would spend more time learning from the newly acquired veteran Patrick Peterson than playing. Even Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin said after the Week 1 game against the San Francisco 49ers that it is "just kinda where he's at right now." It seems clear the coaches want to give Porter time to mature and grow as a young player. This was reflected in the fact that we only saw Porter for a handful of snaps during the loss to the 49ers. 

During the Week 2 game against the Browns, Porter saw a bit more playing time, roughly doubling the number of snaps he played. He showed the whole world why he should be starting by nearly having an interception and breaking up a pass on a critical fourth down that solidified the Steelers 26-22 victory. 

After seeing Levi Wallace struggle during the Week 2 game, including giving up some big downfield plays, fans are wondering again if this means Porter will see more playing time. Tuesday, while speaking with the media, Head Coach Mike Tomlin hinted that more playing time will be coming for Porter. When asked about some of the younger players and their amount of playing time, Tomlin said that they need time to develop and mature naturally. 

"It is a natural maturation process for it to transpire in a stadium and a natural maturation process for us to give more opportunities for it to transpire in the stadium."

Tomlin added that he feels that is what all of the younger players are doing, building upon their prior performances. He stated it is similar for all of these younger players. Then noted that Porter saw an increase in how much he was used from Week 1 to Week 2. 

"He played seven plays in the first game, didn't get much action. Played more plays last night, got some more action, made some more plays. Thus it is reasonable to expect the process to continue to feed itself."

The Steelers have the Las Vegas Raiders coming up in Week 3 in Vegas. It will be interesting to see if Porter once again doubles his playing time and has something like 28 plays in that game. The Steelers will be coming off a short week having played on Monday night during Week 2, which may increase the need to utilize a rotation. 

What do you think about the way the Steelers are easing Porter into his role as a starter? Do you think Porter should be seeing more or less playing time? Click to comment below. 

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