The Pittsburgh Steelers had a contentious offseason with veteran cornerback Joey Porter Jr., and that has unfortunately led into the start of the season. With Porter now officially in the final season of his rookie contract, he and the team were unable to reach an agreement on an extension, and the belief is that the lack of a new deal kept the corner off the field.
Porter missed all of training camp and the first two games of the season with a back injury, according to him and the team. However, the veteran corner spoke with the media on Thursday, and he made it clear that he will play this season, even though a new contract is unlikely.
That’s not the only thing Porter had to say, though. Refusing to put a timeline on when he’d actually return, the corner was asked if Sunday’s game would be a good day to make his season debut, since Pittsburgh is hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. Porter smiled and expressed that he always looks forward to facing off against the Bengals and their talented pass catchers.
He didn’t stop there, though. When asked if his familiarity with Cincinnati would help him get back into form without much of a ramp-up, Porter explained that he knows Cincy’s wide receivers well and that he never really had any problems covering them.
"I feel like I have a good indication on [Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins] and what they like to do," Porter Jr. said. "I never really struggled against them. It’s always been fun for me getting out there with them."
Pittsburgh Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. praises his performance against Bengals receivers
This is a true cornerback comment, and the only thing that could make it better is Porter playing on Sunday and actually locking up Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. While the corner did leave open the possibility of playing on Sunday, he probably won’t be in the lineup.
That means Porter’s teammates will have to back up his words, because even if the corner isn’t playing in Week 3, Chase and Higgins will surely want to send him a message after catching wind of his comments. The good thing is that the Steelers secondary might be up for the challenge.
Through two weeks of the season, Pittsburgh has the third-ranked passing defense, allowing just 154.5 passing yards per game. However, it’s important to note that the Steelers’ two games were against the Atlanta Falcons, who had Cooper Rush at quarterback, and the New England Patriots, who were without AJ Brown.
The Bengals with Joe Burrow, Chase, and Higgins are on a much different level than those two teams. The Steelers must be ready to contain the trio, with or without Joey Porter Jr.
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