Steelers Have Absolutely No Worry In Joey Porter Jr Amid Penalty Uptick: "He's By Far The Best They Have"

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was one of 2023's most anticipated draft picks. The son of linebacker Joey Porter Sr., he is pretty much Pittsburgh royalty. Dad was known for his hard hits, trash-talking, and propensity to fight. It didn't take much tape from Penn State to see that while he inherited his dad's passion, he would not be a carbon copy of his father. 

Many fans were upset when Pittsburgh passed by Porter to get offensive tackle Broderick Jones with their first selection. However, Pittsburgh had the 32nd pick and used it to nab Porter. One of the reasons the young cornerback might have fallen to the second round is because he was noted to be very "handsy" in his draft profile. 

After getting flagged six times, four of which were accepted, against the Cincinnati Bengals, fans worry he will cost the team a game. Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show recently spoke with the Joe Starkey Show on 93.7 The Fan. He was asked if he is worried about Porter's penalties.  

"Sometimes you just get into bad habits," said Kaboly. "You saw Grady [Brown] going over that with him, running some routes with him, to be able to keep him from using his hands past five yards. Good coaching. He's just very young still. He doesn't have a lot of experience. He hasn't even played a full year yet as a starter. He has a lot of room to grow, but I don't have any problem with him whatsoever. I think he is going to be an eventual top-five/ten cornerback in this league. He's by far the best they have."

So far this season, Porter has been flagged 15 times, three of which have been declined. Of those flags, 13 had to do with his hands: illegal use of the hands, holding, or pass interference. In one play against the Bengals, he received two flags, one for holding at the beginning of the play and the pass interference at the end. 

Kaboly said he was glad to see the secondary coach, Grady Brown, working with Porter on Hard Knocks. However, the fans need to cut him some slack because although the penalties have to be fixed, Porter has come a long way. 

"Plus, this is a guy last year, early in camp, that you questioned if he could tackle or not," added Kaboly. "Now he is the fourth leading tackler on the team and making big tackles left and right, including one to stop the Browns on the 3rd and short the other day, he made it 4th and short after him making the key open field tackle. I think he's getting better. I don't have any worries about him."

Porter did not start immediately during his rookie season. He was gradually given more snaps as the games went on and as he continued to show improvement. Tackling was a concern during his rookie year, but he has improved.  

He played in 17 games in 2023, starting 11, and so far in 2024, he has started all 13. He already has 56 tackles this season after only having 43 in 2023. The Steelers will need him to continue improving his hand usage as they work through this gauntlet of games at the end of the season.

Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin Isn't Worried Either

After the Bengals game, Head Coach Mike Tomlin was asked about Porter and the penalties. He said he isn't worried about Porter. Tomlin usually expresses that he "would rather say 'whoa' than 'sic 'em,'" and this is no different. 

He told the media they were working with Porter and he would be fine, and applauded his "serial killer mentality." Porter said that he feels he is being picked on a bit. His arms are long; his wing span is 81", which is longer than he is tall at 6'2". Those long arms are all the officials see; thus, Porter is flagged more than other cornerbacks. 

Are you worried about Porter? Click to comment below.

#SteelerNation