The Steelers lost a game to the Jaguars last Sunday, but they gained a starting corner.
Second-round pick Joey Porter Jr. made his first NFL start against Jacksonville because Levi Wallace was out with an injury and the team liked what it saw. Head coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that Porter will remain the starter regardless of who else is available in the weeks to come.
Porter said Tuesday that he understood having to take a step back after “being the main guy” because he did the same thing when he went from high school to Penn State and that the way the Steelers have brought him along has given him great confidence that he can do what’s being asked of him.
“I’ve got the highest confidence right now in myself in what I can do on the field,” Porter said, via the team’s website. “Now that they gave me nuggets and eased me into the role, it was the best situation for me even though it stunk at the time because at the end you just want more. But I feel like they played it right and now I am ready.”
Porter’s father had to wait until his second season to make his first start with the Steelers, but he remained a fixture in the lineup for the next seven years. The hope in Pittsburgh is that his son can have a similar run as a key part of the Steelers defense.