The Pittsburgh Steelers may have reached the point of no return with Joey Porter Jr. The fourth-year cornerback left practice with a trainer on Thursday after participating in one drill, and we know why: he wants to be paid as a top cornerback in the NFL. This 'impasse' has evolved into a crisis, and a trade feels inevitable.
Luckily, the Steelers may already have a perfect suitor in the Detroit Lions.
In Week 2 on Thursday Night Football, the Lions were on the road against the Buffalo Bills. Detroit's defense couldn't have been any worse. Quarterback Josh Allen threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns while adding 69 rushing yards. Meanwhile, running back James Cook effortlessly rushed for 135 yards on 21 carries (6.4 yards per attempt).
The Bills cruised to victory, and despite comeback efforts from the offense to make it a 10-point loss in the end, the Lions surrendered 41 points as the Bills trounced a suspect defense.
The Lions need more than just a cornerback to fix their defensive woes, but adding a player like Porter Jr. would go a long way in aiding their pass defense... and we already know there is interest from Detroit's front office.
The Detroit Lions are the perfect Pittsburgh Steelers trade partner for Joey Porter Jr.
Just three days before their embarrassing defensive performance on Thursday Night Football, Lions reporter Jeff Ridson said Detroit's front office made a call to Omar Khan and the Steelers to check on Porter's availability.
"The Joey Porter Jr. trade talks: I can tell you that I know that the Lions have approached the Steelers. I don't know how receptive the Steelers were. I don't know what the Lions offered, if anything. I know that they have talked. I got that from a reliable source from the Pittsburgh side," Risdon said.
Now, there's even more incentive for the Lions to work the phones.
Detroit's ugly defensive showing came just five days after their season opener at home against the New Orleans Saints. Perhaps even more concerning than a Josh Allen-led Bills team scoring 41 points on the Lions' defense is the fact that quarterback Tyler Shough put up 410 passing yards and three touchdowns against Detroit in Week 1.
The Lions rank 27th in both defensive EPA per play and defensive success rate, per RBSDM Stats. While we can't expect their struggles to continue quite this badly, if we prorate their first two games over a 17-game season, they are on pace to allow over 5,500 passing yards and 51 passing touchdowns in 2026.
Their cornerback play should take the bulk of the blame. Rock Ya-Sin has been one of the worst cornerbacks in the league this year. Through two games, the 30-year-old cornerback has allowed 11 receptions on 16 targets for 99 yards and a touchdown. As a result, Ya-Sin has earned a 43.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus after his first two games. The rest of the CB room hasn't been much better.
The Detroit Lions could use Joey Porter Jr. in the worst possible way
Still, Dan Campbell's team is scoring 31 points per game early in the year, and they have the firepower to compete, thanks to their offense... if the defense can start to hold up a little better.
The NFC North could be up for grabs this year, and the Lions might be a defensive piece or two away from a division title. Adding Joey Porter Jr. would help tremendously.
The Steelers would want a first-round pick in return, but beggars can't be choosers. Because of how the drama has escalated in Pittsburgh, Khan may be willing to take a second-round pick to wash his hands of the Porter situation. The Lions have a second-round selection in the 2027 NFL Draft, along with eight total picks next April. This is more than enough firepower to get a deal done.
We can bet other teams could be calling Pittsburgh's front office to check on Porter's availability, but the Detroit Lions make perfect sense.
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