Third-year cornerback Joey Porter Jr. recorded his first interception of 2025 during Week 10 for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But former Steelers Defensive Player of the Year winner James Harrison clearly wants more.
Harrison delivered a strong challenge to Porter, who he knows personally, while talking about the cornerback on his podcast on Friday.
“DBs have to play tighter and cleaner,” Harrison told his co-host and former cornerback Joe Haden, via SI on Steelers’ Noah Strackbein. “No penalties. I’m talking to nephew [Porter]. You’ve gotta use your feet and take advantage of your length and your speed.
“I’m talking directly to you, nephew. Little Peezy, I’m talking directly to you. I wanna see you put together a whole, complete game, week-in and week-out.
“And I’m doing this on purpose. You know why? Because I know you’re your daddy’s son. When I call you put, I put pressure on you, that don’t mean nothing to you.
“That don’t do [expletive] but motivate you. We need to create turnovers. Hey, nephew, get me a pick or two. I need a game ball, nephew. Get me a game ball.”
Porter has posted 22 combined tackles with nine passes defenses and one sack to go with his interception this season. The cornerback has played in five contests, missing three because of a quad injury.
However, Porter has struggled with penalties for a second consecutive year. He has committed six fouls, five of which in the last three games.
James Harrison Challenges Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr.
Ironically, Harrison’s emergence in the mid-aughts allowed the Steelers to move on from Porter’s father. The year after the team released Porter Sr., Harrison began a four-year stretch where he made first or second-team All-Pro every year.
During his second full season as a starter, Harrison won the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.
But Harrison and Porter Sr. were teammates in the Steelers edge rusher room for about half a decade. Harrison was also still on the Steelers when Porter Sr. joined the team’s coaching staff.
So, Harrison challenging Porter Jr. appears to be coming out of love. The former All-Pro has expressed Steelers fandom in retirement and appears to want to see his former teammate’s son excel.
The Pittsburgh defense would greatly benefit if Porter met Harrison’s challenge. The unit is ranked second in takeaways and in the top 10 in interceptions this season. It’s a major part of the team’s recipe for success.
Porter recording an interception during Week 10 would give the Steelers a major boost against the Los Angeles Chargers. But the Steelers could also simply use more consistency from their young cornerback.
Porter often puts himself in a good place to make a play on the ball but then often grabs opposing receivers. That leads to penalties.
If Porter proves to be more of a shutdown corner, the Steelers defense could reach another level. Frankly, that’s what the team needs with Jalen Ramsey switching to safety.
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