Joey Porter Jr. had massive expectations on his shoulder final yr. He was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ No. 1 nook, coming off a promising rookie season. Whereas he wasn’t dangerous, he didn’t blossom like some might need anticipated him to. Porter had ups and downs all year long. He doesn’t appear to be making any main adjustments to his recreation, although.
“Simply cleansing up the little stuff that I watched on tape,” Porter stated Wednesday after an OTA session through the workforce’s web site. “Once I return on tape, there’s nothing actually drastic that stands out. There’s no one that’s on the market beating me by yards.
“So, it’s simply the little issues that I want to wash up in my approach, and I really feel like I’ve been engaged on that this complete offseason. I’m simply actually simply excited to place that on tape.”
Final season, Porter did a comparatively good job in protection. His largest challenge was penalties. Oftentimes, he was too grabby. He’s an enormous, bodily nook, in order that’s probably at all times going to be a part of his recreation however chopping down on it will be important.
After the 2024 season ended, Exhausting Knocks captured a second the place Porter appeared dedicated to coming into this season with a brand new mindset. It seemed like he was going to have a chip on his shoulder this yr. With the best way the Steelers’ protection collapsed to finish 2024, that isn’t shocking.
Porter continues to be a younger participant, going into his third NFL season, so he’s acquired lots of room to develop. Veteran Darius Slay, who the Steelers signed this offseason to play reverse of Porter, sounds excited to mentor the younger nook. Maybe that steering will assist Porter clear up the little issues which might be holding him again. He has the instruments to grow to be a incredible nook on this league.
Some moments have been ugly for Porter final yr. Whereas he took strides in some sides of the sport, like management, inconsistency won’t be his pal. The Steelers are scheduled to face some elite extensive receivers this yr, like Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, and Tyreek Hill, in order that they’ll probably want Porter to take a step up. He sounds up for that problem, although.
