The Pittsburgh Steelers have spent the past month making their critics look foolish. Four straight wins, a league-leading pass rush and first place in the AFC North aren't exactly the ingredients for a defensive crisis. But one former player isn't ready to congratulate the organization for moving on from a major piece of its secondary. He's worried the most revealing test hasn't arrived yet.
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Pittsburgh Steelers star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. during a 2026 preseason game at Acrisure Stadium.
Former Steelers defensive lineman Chris Hoke has little patience for the idea that Pittsburgh is somehow better without Joey Porter Jr. The two-time Super Bowl champion knows the defense has been rolling. He just doesn't believe four winning Sundays make a top cover corner expendable, especially when more dangerous quarterbacks are waiting.
It's not hard to see why people are feeling good. Pittsburgh embarrassed the Cleveland Browns 27-6 on Sunday, sacked their quarterback eight times and entered the bye at 6-2. The Steelers now lead the NFL with 26 sacks. When the front is arriving before a receiver finishes his route, every defensive back suddenly looks like he's having a great afternoon.
The less flattering number sits behind all that pressure. Pittsburgh ranks 17th in net passing yards allowed per game, surrendering approximately 222. That's a long way from the league-leading sack total. Hoke believes some of the enthusiasm surrounding the secondary has turned into a pretty convenient rewrite of what Porter brought to the team.
Speaking during a recent discussion, Hoke pushed back on the argument that trading Porter actually improved Pittsburgh's defense.
“I think that if Joey was here, Joey was our best corner. You know, he's a top 10 corner in the league. So, of course, you're going to miss a top 10 corner in the league. I think that's an emotional take because of how well they're playing right now,” Hoke said.
Calling Porter a top-10 corner is Hoke's evaluation, not an official league designation. There's still a solid football case behind it. Porter recorded 14 passes defended in 2025 and didn't allow a touchdown in coverage. His ability to match up with receivers on the outside gave Pittsburgh a coverage option that doesn't magically reappear because another player makes a few good tackles.
The trade itself wasn't some random act of roster management. Porter and the Steelers couldn't agree on a contract extension, and Pittsburgh shipped him to the Dallas Cowboys on October 1 for a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder. He had missed the first three games of the season, meaning he hasn't played a snap for Pittsburgh in 2026. That's a detail people seem determined to skip.
The replacements deserve credit. Jamel Dean has taken on tougher outside assignments, Asante Samuel Jr. has provided valuable snaps and rookie Daylen Everette has flashed potential. Jalen Ramsey gives Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham flexibility across the secondary. Nobody needs to insult those guys to appreciate Porter.
A recent assessment of the secondary suggested Pittsburgh wasn't missing him right now. That last part is important. The defense has adapted impressively, but adapting isn't the same as having identical personnel advantages.
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Steelers' Jamel Dean walks down the tunnel before a game against the New Orleans Saints in Paris, France, during the 2026 season.
Cleveland offered a reminder. Despite taking eight sacks and never reaching the end zone, the Browns still threw for 324 yards before sack losses were subtracted. Pittsburgh deserves credit for making the crucial stops, but those completions didn't evaporate just because the final score looked gorgeous. Against a quarterback who gets the ball out faster, a leaky coverage matchup can become a touchdown before the pass rush has time to introduce itself.
The difference an established man-cover corner makes is easy to overlook. Graham could potentially leave Porter isolated against a difficult matchup and send additional help elsewhere. Without him, those decisions become more complicated. The defensive coordinator must weigh how much he trusts his remaining corners against how aggressively he wants to attack the quarterback. No individual defender eliminates every coverage mistake, but losing one with Porter's skill set does remove options.
Steelers Have A Harder Test Waiting After The Bye
Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals are next on November 15. Pittsburgh already beat Burrow without Porter, but it was a 30-27 game, not some overwhelming defensive statement. Hoke also pointed to quarterbacks such as Josh Allen, the type Pittsburgh could encounter if it makes a postseason run. Those passers aren't required to hold the ball long enough for eight sacks.
Here's the part Hoke gets right: winning without a good player doesn't automatically mean you're better without him. The contract dispute was real, and those draft picks have value. Pittsburgh can defend the business decision without pretending Porter suddenly became ordinary. That's a distinction worth making before the next elite passing attack starts testing every inch of the field.
Graham has earned praise for the way this group has improved its communication and executed its assignments. The question isn't whether his defense can survive without Porter; the first eight games have answered that. It's how much better the Steelers could have been with him, and whether their current corners can handle the Sundays when the front doesn't bail everyone out.
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