Former Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher Joey Porter was well known for trash talking and saying exactly how he felt. It’s not surprising that his son — cornerback Joey Porter Jr. — is any different.
When a reporter asked Porter at offseason workouts who was the best cornerback in the NFL, the second-year defensive back didn’t bother with a humble answer.
“Me for sure,” said Porter, via The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly.
Porter admitted that most pundits probably wouldn’t say he’s the best cornerback in the league. But he argued his case and appeared to send a warning to the rest of the NFL.
“There are a lot of good DBs in this league,” Porter said. “Nobody was doing what I was doing going against WR1s the entire year and locking him down. I don’t care if I am mentioned in there or not because they are going to hear my name eventually.”
Porter began starting for the Steelers in Week 8 of his rookie season. He shadowed the top wideout from the opposition beginning with DeAndre Hopkins of the Tennessee Titans during Week 9.
Porter finished his rookie season with 43 combined tackles, including 1 tackle for loss. He also had 10 pass defenses and 1 interception.
Over the final 10 games of the season, Porter played every defensive snap for the Steelers seven times.
Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr. Keeping ‘My Swagger Up’
Porter’s father often attacked his opponents to motivate himself and his teammates. On the way to Pittsburgh winning its fifth championship during the 2005-06 season, Porter called the 14-2 Indianapolis Colts “soft” and challenged Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens prior to the Super Bowl.
Although Porter Jr. appears to be just as confident as his father was, his motivation is a little different. He seems focused on himself rather than trash talking with his opponents.
“I always try to keep my confidence up, my swagger up,” Porter said, via Kaboly. “Coming into the building, I always felt that I was that guy. You have to work to get that respect, but I think everybody understands what I can bring to the table.
“I always had the mentality as a kid of wanting the best just to see where I stack up. I’m always going to pick me over anybody else. I always have had that confidence.”
Porter was a sight for sore eyes for the Steelers once he began playing regularly as a rookie. Although the Steelers have had former All-Pro cornerbacks such as Patrick Peterson and Joe Haden on their roster, Pittsburgh hasn’t had a true lockdown cornerback since the team was winning Super Bowls in the late 2000s.
Ike Taylor was the Steelers top cornerback on the 2005 and 2008 championship teams.
The Steelers drafted Porter Jr. at No. 32 overall last year with the hope he would be at least the next Taylor, who started 140 games while playing his entire career in Pittsburgh.
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, Donte Jackson Hype Porter Jr.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and cornerback Donte Jackson didn’t call Porter the best cornerback in the league. But they still had plenty of positive things to say about the second-year cornerback.
“He is a football sponge,” Jackson told Kaboly. “Guys like that, they are always putting the team first. He asks a lot of questions, and he is willing to work on anything you tell him.
“He will pull you aside in mid-practice and say look at this. That’s always a good sign when dealing with young football players regardless of position. You want them to be infatuated with football, and he already is.”
Tomlin arrived in Pittsburgh just after the Steelers released Porter Sr. But the coach still seemed to suggest the similarities between the second-year cornerback and his father.
“Probably the most impressive component of where he is, is his mindset,” Tomlin said of Porter Jr. this offseason. “He wants the fight. He wants the tough coverage. He’s extremely competitive in that way.”
The Steelers were 20th in passing yards allowed and tied for second-to-last in passing touchdowns yielded during 2022. In Porter’s rookie season, the Steelers improved to 17th in pass defense and passing touchdowns allowed.
