Steelers' Joey Porter Jr Needs To Reach This Massive Career Milestone

The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering a new window of their franchise under the Omar Khan regime. From his first draft in 2023 to now, his acquisitions are starting to fill up the entire roster, making it his team. Khan has acquired a handful of key players that are standing out as big pieces to this team, but there is just one thing that he hasn't accomplished yet. None of his draft picks have been named a First Team All-Pro.

While he hasn't acquired the standouts such as TJ Watt or Cam Heyward, two recent All-Pros, there are still a handful of strong picks that could be getting close to adding some hardware. While there is an argument to be made that Nick Herbig could be first, one that seems more likely is standout cornerback Joey Porter Jr. 

Porter is contract chasing, looking to get a massive deal to stay in the city he grew up in. Even with that hometown heart for the organization, he is expected to become one of the highest paid corners in the league. Rightfully so, Porter has been a premier defensive back, preventing touchdowns at an elite level, limiting flags, and doing all that while constantly following opponents' leading receiver.

Considering how the cornerback market is shaping up across the NFL and Porter having the chance to develop further under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, there's some belief that Porter can be the first All-Pro pick that Khan has brought in. Steelers insider Christopher Carter gave some insight on that, primarily talking about once the big extension is finalized, there is some expectation that he improves and turns into that league-recognized star. 

"Porter turns 26 on Sunday, and is in the final year of his rookie deal as he enters training camp," Carter wrote. "Though he looks to cash in on a booming NFL cornerback market, odds are Omar Khan will find a way to keep the Steelers’ ace cornerback on a long-term extension. But once that deal is signed, Porter will need to back up the Steelers’ faith in him and make himself one of the undisputed elite cornerbacks of the NFL. If Porter can do that, he would likely become the first Steelers player drafted during Khan’s tenure as general manager to be named First Team All-Pro."

Once that deal is finalized, Carter believes that Porter needs to set himself apart as one of the top cornerbacks in the league. It's not just the justification for this large deal, it's the fact that Porter is now one of the faces of this defense and Pittsburgh needs him to excel as the star of this younger generation of Steelers football. 

This defense has a handful of aging veterans too, so Porter needs to remain a critical part of that nucleus for the future of this organization. The Steelers haven't won a playoff game in nearly a decade, so there's some urgency on this squad to get over that hump over these next few years. 

The only thing right now keeping Porter off the top ranking charts are his interception numbers. While that stirred some controversy with two former Steelers players, adding that to his game would be what truly makes him an undisputed top of the line corner. Porter will become a highly paid corner and while he has been extremely productive thus far, with more money, he needs to become even better for this defense.

Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. Could Justify Extension With Breakout Season

After the first two weeks of training camp, this contract should hopefully be finalized between the Steelers and Porter. Most reporters expect this to get done with Porter wanting to stay in Pittsburgh and the front office believing in his future as an anchor to this defense. Porter's future is extremely important to this organization and this team needs him to be the First Team All-Pro that he's about to get paid to be, which would be the first for Khan as mentioned by Carter.