The Pittsburgh Steelers were by some marks underwhelming when free agency opened. Without a quarterback considered to be starting caliber, the Steelers offseason has gotten off to a rocky start.
One spot that they seem to have addressed well, however, is the cornerback position. With the emergence of Joey Porter Jr. as a genuine option in 2024, the team shored up the group by adding veteran corner Darius Slay Jr. Slay was released by the Eagles at the beginning of the offseason and signed a one-year deal with the Steelers towards the beginning of free agency.
With his signing, Slay has taken to the media to make clear that he will work in a mentor role towards younger players on the team. On his Big Play Slay podcast, Slay spoke about how he would mentor Porter specifically, addressing issues that plagued Porter’s play last season, and making a promise that he’s going to take his game even higher.
“I’m gonna make sure to get him right,” Slay said. “I told him, I watched him, and he does that cinch-in-step where he gets it. 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. 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.”
With the right mentorship and guidance, Porter has a decent chance of becoming a star. Farabaugh also mentions the word “clean” as it relates to fixing Porter’s game, harkening back to the sloppy play that Slay focused on in his podcast.
If Porter can truly reach these heights, he would continue an immense history of elite secondary players who played for the Steelers, including names like Mel Blount and Troy Polamalu.
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