The Steelers didn’t need long to show Joey Porter Jr.’s exit wasn’t going to wreck their defense.
Since dealing the cornerback to the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 30, Pittsburgh has gone 3-1 and stacked three straight wins to move to 5-2 on the season. The defense has done plenty of heavy lifting in that stretch, and one of the biggest reasons is the play of Asante Samuel Jr.
Former NFL head coach Jon Gruden pointed to Samuel in his Week 8 preview of the Steelers-Browns matchup, saying the cornerback’s emergence helps explain why Pittsburgh was willing to move Porter. Gruden even tied Samuel’s production to the family name behind him, comparing him to his father, Asante Samuel, a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots.
“If you ask yourself why the Steelers trade Joey Porter, it’s because of this guy. Asante Samuel,” Gruden said.
“.The ex-Charger, he had like a spinal fusion operation in 2025. Credit to him, great offseason, one-year $4 million contract.
"You watch him, he’s got seven PBUs, he’s playing with great confidence, and he has vision on the quarterback a lot just like his dad. Guy has a lot of ball skills and he ain’t afraid to pull the trigger.”
Samuel signed to the Steelers’ practice squad on Nov. 12, 2025, then worked his way into six games and three starts. Porter never played for Pittsburgh in 2026, while Samuel stepped into the starting role.
Now lined up as a starter alongside Jamal Dean, Samuel has become a real part of a secondary that’s holding up its end. He has 27 tackles, 18 of them solo, and his seven passes defended trail only Dean on the team.
The numbers around him back up the picture. Samuel has allowed career lows in completion rate at 45.5%, yards per completion at 10.8, yards per target at 4.9 and opponent passer rating at 75.5 when targeted.
And the Steelers’ defense overall has stayed sharp. Pittsburgh ranks 11th in the league in passing yards allowed per game at 212.7, fifth in points allowed per game at 19.7, and is giving up just one passing touchdown per game, tied for the fourth-fewest in the NFL this season.
Samuel’s rise has given the Steelers exactly what they needed after the trade: proof that the secondary can still be a strength, even without Porter.
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Steelers Still Have One Trade Deadline Problem They Need To Solve
The Steelers are still working the phones before the NFL trade deadline, and the search has a very specific target in mind: a starting cornerback who can help replace the void created by the Joey Porter Jr. trade. The need is pretty straightforward from a roster-building standpoint. Pittsburgh wants length, speed and the ability to hold up in man coverage, and that narrows the field to defensive backs who can actually play outside rather than just provide depth.
A handful of names fit the general profile, and each brings a different mix of contract status, size and recent production. Some are more established, some are more gambles, but the common thread is the same: the Steelers need a corner who can step in and handle real responsibilities right away. That makes this one of the more important unfinished business items on their deadline board, because finding the right match could shape how comfortable the defense feels for the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]