If you ask any player in the NFL, they will usually have one or more players they say made a huge impact on them during their careers. When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Darius Slay could be that guy for Joey Porter Jr.
A former second-round pick of the Steelers in 2023, Porter Jr. has shown plenty of promise over his two seasons in the NFL. He exploded onto the scene in his rookie year, when he gave up a completion rate of 47.6% and a passer rating of 70.1.
While he certainly wasn’t bad in 2024, Porter Jr. did see a dip in his coverage stats, where he surrendered a completion percentage of 62.8% and a passer rating of 82.7 when targeted. The Penn State product also struggled with penalties.
Entering the offseason, the Steelers had a question mark opposite Porter Jr. thanks to the free-agent status of Donte Jackson, who eventually landed with the Los Angeles Chargers.
To remedy that need, the Steelers signed Slay in free agency after he was cut loose by the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, not only do the Steelers have a solid starter, they also have a mentor for Porter Jr. — and that’s exactly what Slay intends on being.
During a recent episode of his podcast, Slay made it quite clear he wants to help the young cornerback take his game to the next level, and he gave a detailed answer as to what Porter Jr. can improve on.
“I’m gonna make sure to get him right. I told him, I watched him, he does that cinch in-step where he gets it in,” he said. “Now, he’s just gotta work on being better down the field.
“I watched his film, they were calling him for a lot of aggressiveness down there with the pass interference,” Slay added. “I’m gonna tell him, ‘You beat him at the line. Just cut him off and now you’re the receiver. Go get the ball now.’”
Being too aggressive has been an issue for Porter Jr., but as Slay points out, it’s better to have that naturally and tone it down than it is to have to learn to be aggressive.
“It’s hard to get that aggression out of somebody like that, which is cool,” Slay said. “that’s what you want. You’d rather take (that) than tell him to be aggressive. You can be like, ‘Hey, man, calm down a little bit.’ It’s gonna be fun working with him.”
Porter Jr. is on the cusp of being great in the NFL, he just needs to refine his game a bit to get there. If anyone can help him get over the top, it’s Slay, who will offer invaluable advice for the 24-year-old.
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