Joey Porter Jr. keeps looking like a building block for the Steelers, but one new ranking says the rest of the league still isn’t quite ready to put him among the NFL’s elite cornerbacks.
Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department slotted the Pittsburgh defensive back at No. 27 entering the 2026 season. He landed just behind Minnesota Vikings corner Byron Murphy Jr. at No. 26 and just ahead of Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Riq Woolen at No.
- At the top of the list sits Denver Broncos star Patrick Surtain II, who is widely viewed as one of the league’s best shutdown corners.
That placement is bound to raise eyebrows in Pittsburgh. Plenty of Steelers fans already see Porter as one of the AFC’s top young cover men, and the case is easy to make. Since arriving in the league in 2023, he has been the guy teams test against their No. 1 receivers, and he’s built a reputation as a tough press-man defender who can erase space and keep explosive plays from breaking loose.
The numbers haven’t always popped in the interception column, but Porter’s value has shown up in the way Pittsburgh uses him. He sticks to receivers, battles at the line, and has become one of the most trusted pieces in the Steelers’ secondary. That’s why a spot outside the top 25 feels like a slight to some and a surprise to many.
There’s also a bigger layer to this. Porter is still waiting on a long-term extension from the Steelers, and the market around him is only getting more expensive as other young cornerbacks cash in. Every ranking, fair or not, feeds into the conversation about what Pittsburgh may eventually have to pay to keep him in place.
Whether this list proves to be accurate or just gives Porter another chip on his shoulder, he’ll have a chance to answer it on the field in 2026. A strong season against the NFL’s best receivers could push him up these rankings fast and strengthen his case for a massive contract at the position.
In Other News...
Steelers Suddenly Have Real Doubt About Will Howards Backup Push
Will Howards push to become Aaron Rodgers backup has hit a familiar training-camp snag for a young quarterback: the flashes are there, but the trust factor is not. Through camp, Howard has been battling for the No. 2 job in Pittsburgh, and the early view has been uneven enough that the competition still feels very much alive. Mason Rudolph, meanwhile, has done enough to look like the steadier option if the Steelers had to sort out the depth chart today.
For Howard, the next chance to change that perception comes in the preseason game against Green Bay, where every throw will matter a little more than it does in practice. The path is clear enough: show he can be more consistent in the middle of the field and when pushing the ball downfield, and the conversation around the backup job gets a lot more interesting. Until then, the Steelers are left weighing upside against reliability behind Rodgers. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Tight End Competition Just Got More Crowded Again
The tight end room in Pittsburgh picked up another body this week, with Lance Mason joining the mix after a stop in Seattle. The Steelers moved quickly on the undrafted rookie from the 2026 NFL Draft, betting on a player whose college path included Missouri State and Wisconsin, where he earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors and showed enough to keep drawing NFL attention.
Mason arrives at a time when every available rep matters for a position still sorting itself out, and the roster move had an immediate ripple effect. To create the opening, Pittsburgh parted with J.J. Galbreath, a reminder that even the back end of the depth chart is feeling the squeeze as the Steelers keep churning the competition. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Camp Just Raised A Real Question About Their QB Depth
The offense has looked a little cleaner during recent training camp work at Saint Vincent College, which is at least a step in the right direction for a Steelers unit trying to find some rhythm. There have been encouraging signs elsewhere on the field too, with undrafted rookie Kevin Jobity Jr. making his presence felt as an interior pass rusher and Anderson continuing to strengthen his case in the battle for the starting right guard spot.
Still, the quarterback room has become a more interesting subplot as camp unfolds. A rookie has had trouble with decision-making and accuracy, and those kinds of growing pains can quickly become a bigger concern when a team is trying to piece together dependable depth behind its top options. For Pittsburgh, the early camp progress is real, but so is the reminder that one shaky stretch at quarterback can change how the entire depth chart is viewed. [Read more 🡒]