Shocking Stat Proves Steelers Are Planning To Trade Joey Porter Jr

The Pittsburgh Steelers have concluded their Week 1 matchup after defeating the Atlanta Falcons 20-13. Head Coach Mike McCarthy got off to a strong start in Pittsburgh. The defense stole the show, holding superstar running back Bijan Robinson to just 83 rushing yards. TJ Watt had an absolutely dominant performance. The Steelers played classic Week 1 football. There was a ton of sloppiness, but things to build off of were evident. Offensively, the team is still shaking off rust, but the defense had an ideal start to the campaign. 

The pass defense, in particular, was spectacular despite playing without its best cornerback, Joey Porter Jr., who was inactive for the game. Porter has been in contract negotiations all offseason and has yet to reach an agreement with the organization. So, without a new extension, the cornerback did not play in Week 1 despite being healthy enough to play, according to Ray Fittipaldo's report.

It was up to Jamel Dean and Asante Samuel Jr. to hold it down in the secondary, and they did just that. Falcons quarterback Cooper Rush could not get any momentum through the air, largely due to the blanket coverage. Even without Porter, the defense held up nicely, grabbing two interceptions, including a highlight play from Watt. 

Porter is an excellent man-to-man cornerback, especially in press coverage. In 2025, the Steelers ran plenty of man coverage, and Porter excelled, posting his best season to this point in his career. In the Week 1 win, Pittsburgh ran things differently than in the past, with zone being the main focus. Without their best cornerback, Patrick Graham elected to play it safe with his secondary. 

The Steelers ran a lot of Cover 1 in 2025, but that wasn't the case versus Atlanta. Porter was a big part of the pas man coverage successes, as he would eliminate the opposing team's top wide receiver. Without the former Penn State standout, playing heavy man coverage is a big risk with the players on the field. Dean turns 30 this season, and Samuel hasn't seen much action since neck surgery that kept him out of football for a long while. Could this me a sign of things to come?

Whether Porter will play this season is still to be determined. He didn't start the game on the sideline, but eventually made his way onto the field. If Porter doesn't play in 2026, Graham and the defense staff may have found the formula for how to play without their star cornerback. The recipe could be confusing the quarterback pre-snap, then bailing to zone. 

The defense will have to keep things creative if this is how it wants to play. One of the group's biggest problems in 2025 was predictability, making it very susceptible to quick game passes. If Week 1 is a taste of how things will be defensively for the collective, the pass rushers will continue to make splash plays. 

Steelers' Pass Rushers Definitely Showed Out

Taking away the offense's quick-game passes pays huge dividends for the Steelers' defensive line. Both Watt and Alex Highsmith tallied two sacks each, terrorizing both of Atlanta's offensive tackles. After a lackluster 2025 season, Watt started 2026 strongly, showing Steeler Nation why the organization gave him his huge extension in 2025. If the defensive backs can continue to play the way they did, Watt will easily eclipse double-digit sacks once again. 

Graham got all of the edge rushers on the field and used them rather effectively, and there were some added looks for Nick Herbig. All of the pass rushers did their part, and the team won because of it. The Steelers needed a hot start to the season with the schedule they have down the stretch. The win wasn't perfect, but it was necessary. As the offense builds momentum, the defense must stay on this course and show why they are the most expensive. 

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