Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. Rose To The Challenge Issued By Mike Tomlin

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a rocky start to the 2023 season, including suffering a number of injuries at key positions. During the Week 5 matchup against their fierce divisional foe, the Baltimore Ravens, they were without five players and had a few more questionable. This included defensive captain Cameron Heyward and veteran wide receiver Diontae Johnson. These injuries, and some shoddy gameplay, have given some of the Steelers rookies a shot, including Joey Porter Jr. It is not at all surprising that Head Coach Mike Tomlin would issue challenges to the young, hungry players and that it would pay off as it did Week 5.

Porter, who is the son of former Steelers great, linebacker Joey Porter Sr., was drafted with the first pick of the second round in the 2023 NFL Draft. Since the start of the season, fans have been calling for Porter to start, particularly after veterans Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace have been inconsistent through the first four weeks. This led to reports that Porter would be starting, but Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin quickly attempted to squash those rumors telling the media during his pregame press conference that while Porter is improving, he's not ready to play full-time yet. 

Having Porter wait to start is very much in keeping with the "Steelers Way." They tend to allow rookies playing time to grow gradually over time. Porter has seen more snaps each game of the season and was reportedly told during halftime against the Ravens that he would play more in the second half. Porter apparently was ready for this opportunity according to Mike DeFabo from The Athletic. DeFabo reported that Porter said Tomlin told him to show him instead of telling him.  

"Get a pick and hand it to me on the sideline... so that's exactly what I did," said Porter.

Porter was seen after the pick handing the ball to Tomlin on the sideline. DeFabo said that he did get the ball back and commented that he is "keeping this one." He certainly should, as a player who has been widely criticized for his lack of interceptions while he was in college, getting his first one in the pros is a huge accomplishment. 

Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. Showing Growth Every Week

While this might have been Porter's first regular season interception in the pros, it is not his first sign of growth. From the moment Porter took the field in training camp, lined up across from the incredible George Pickens, he has been offering fans glimpses of how much he can do. 

During the pre-draft process, Porter was criticized for being "too grabby" and for not getting enough interceptions. Porter spent four seasons at Penn State and had only 1 interception. He did rack up 113 combined tackles, 1 sack, and 1 fumble recovery. 

Porter has played on 86 defensive snaps through five games in 2023 and it does feel like he shows up wherever he is needed. While no one wants to see the secondary perform poorly, the less-than-consistent play from Peterson and Wallace has given Porter and Desmond King II a shot. 

Through the first four games of the season, Peterson allowed a 71.45 completion percentage when he was the nearest defender. As they entered the Ravens game, Peterson and Wallace allowed a plus-22.4 target EPA combined when in man coverage and a plus-4.3 combined EPA when in zone coverage. 

While most fans agree that Porter has done enough to prove himself, it seems unlikely that Tomlin will start him after the bye week. However, it does seem as though he will continue to be given more and more playing time each week.

Do you think Porter will be starting any time soon? Do you think he should be? Click to comment below.

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