Steelers' Joey Porter Jr Likely Won't Have An Impact Immediately If He Returns

The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense has gotten off to a hot start this season, terrorizing opposing quarterbacks. The run defense could be more consistent, but there's no denying the improvement in pass defense under Patrick Graham's new scheme. The group has given very little breathing room thus far this season, all without their star cornerback, Joey Porter Jr., who has stolen headlines all offseason. The unit has thrived without one of its more important pieces, but it's unclear how long they can keep it up. 

Porter is a man-to-man specialist, so in Week 1, Pittsburgh played all zone coverage. In Week 2, they started in man coverage, but quickly moved away after getting exposed early. Many fans argue that neither outcome of the first two games would have been affected heavily by Porter's presence, but the team will need the former Penn State standout sooner rather than later. If Porter plays this season, he will have no training camp reps or preseason snaps, which could impact his effectiveness.  

Porter was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list at the start of training camp with a back injury, did not participate, and had no ramp-up for the season. While the organization is trying to ramp him up in-season, he hasn't hit anyone since the Wild Card loss in January. Even if he steps on the field against the Cincinnati Bengals, he likely won't impact the defense significantly. 

Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette recently appeared on an episode of Sideline Squad With Cass & Fran, where he claimed that Porter won't have an immediate impact on the defense if he returns. With the new coaching staff and his lack of meaningful reps with the starters, Porter will not be in midseason form and could struggle or have a limited role. 

"This new coaching staff, who, one, doesn't really know him, and two, has not seen him on the field working with the first team defense in any meaningful manner," Dulac said. "It's not like he's going to come in and, you know, instantly have an impact on this team." 

This is no longer Mike Tomlin's defense, which has been in place for the last 19 years. The base scheme is still a 3-4, but coverages are certainly different. Graham's fingerprints are all over the unit, and Porter missed all of the reps he needed. On the initial depth chart, Pittsburgh listed both Porter and Asante Samuel Jr. as the starter opposite Jamel Dean, perhaps due to all the time the cornerback missed. 

Graham is known for adapting his scheme week to week based on the matchups at hand. His defense will keep evolving, with or without Porter. His status is still up in the air for Week 3 against the Bengals, but going against Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, he likely won't be very impactful, as Dulac said. Pittsburgh must hope Dean and Samuel hold up well enough until Porter is in midseason form, or close to it. 

Steelers' Defense Has A Big Challenge This Week

Chase, Higgins, and Joe Burrow can put up 30 points on any given day; the Steelers know this all too well. With a thin safety room and Porter not yet playing this season, the Bengals will almost certainly try to expose Pittsburgh's secondary. In 2025, the Steelers tried to man up the Bengals' pass catchers and allowed Joe Flacco to throw for 342 yards and three touchdowns. 

Now, with a defensive coordinator who knows his personnel better than the previous regime, the Steelers could perform much better this go-around. Even without Porter, Graham proved he can use zone coverage and disguise coverages to confuse the opposing quarterback. 

No matter how things shake out between the organization and Porter, he won't have much of an impact in his first few games, and the longer this dispute goes on, the longer he will take to adjust. The Steelers need to get a handle on this now to save their secondary down the line, potentially. 

#SteelerNation