Steelers' DK Metcalf Already Helping Joey Porter Jr. Fix Critical Issue: 'He Pushed Me'

The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to see Joey Porter Jr. take a big step in the 2025 season. Porter has not fully lived up to expectations yet, but has shown a lot of potential as a future star cornerback for the Steelers. His size, athleticism, and skill set give the team confidence that he can become a key player in their secondary for seasons to come.

One major issue holding Porter back has been his tendency to get flagged for holding and other penalties. These mistakes have hurt him at important moments and have slowed his progress. New Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf is already working with Porter to help him fix this problem and improve his game.

Steelers insider Christopher Carter shared that a play during goal-line practice stood out, involving Metcalf and Porter. Carter spoke about this key moment he witnessed during minicamp on his Locked on Steelers podcast on Friday. After the play, the two showed respect and exchanged tips, which shows how much they are learning from each other. As training camp approaches, fans can expect these two to continue pushing each other and making an impact.

"It was basically a goal-line fade ball from Mason Rudolph," Carter said. "Joey Porter Jr. is guarding DK Metcalf, and he gets flagged for a holding from the ref in the end zone. Joey Porter Jr. is immediately like, 'Yo, he pushed me, what are you talking about? How are you going to call that on me?' He was very frustrated."

One major aspect that Carter pointed out about the Steelers’ new wide receiver is how different the dynamic is compared to previous offseasons with Porter and George Pickens. When Porter and Pickens competed, there wasn’t the same level of back-and-forth support. While competing against each other naturally helps both players improve, neither seemed to go out of their way to help the other.

Carter also mentioned that he wasn’t sure Pickens liked Porter very much. The key difference now is that Metcalf is actively working to help Porter learn how to defend against elite receivers like himself. This kind of collaboration could make a big impact on Porter’s development.

"DK Metcalf comes up and says, 'Hey, hey, hey, I was doing something to try to get you to get that called on you, and it was a move I haven’t shown you before,'" Carter said. "I didn’t understand entirely what they were saying because I couldn’t hear them up close, but they dapped each other up afterwards and were cool… They are able to trade tips."

Porter and Metcalf first faced each other during the 2023 season, and now it’s exciting to watch them go head-to-head in practice. Their work together should definitely help Porter improve on the critical penalties he has struggled with. If Porter can clean up those flags, he has a real chance to become a star cornerback in the NFL.

Metcalf showed Porter a new move, telling him he had about a yard to handle him and to act like he was blocking, teaching him a release technique Porter hadn’t seen before. Porter said it’s great to compete against Metcalf because of their shared competitive nature. He described their battles as 'iron sharpens iron' and called the experience fun.

Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. Learning From DK Metcalf

This growing chemistry between Porter and Metcalf could be a game changer for the Steelers. Beyond just refining skills, their mutual respect and willingness to learn from each other set the tone for a strong team culture. If Porter continues to absorb these lessons and improve his discipline, it will not only elevate his own game but could also inspire the entire defense to raise their level. 

The Steelers may be building more than just individual talent and shaping a new standard of excellence and unity on the field. Carter truly believes that Metcalf going against Porter will help him turn into the star cornerback Pittsburgh had envisioned when they drafted him.