The Steelers entered this stretch with plenty of questions after moving Joey Porter Jr., but the secondary hasn’t exactly crumbled in his absence. With the trade deadline set for November 10, Pittsburgh doesn’t look like a team that has to panic-shop for help at cornerback.
That’s the biggest takeaway from how the group has held up. The Steelers are 6-2 at the bye week, while Dallas and Porter are sitting at 3-5 in a division that has gone sideways. So while Pittsburgh was quickly labeled the loser of that deal, the early read is starting to shift.
And if the Steelers do get mentioned in cornerback rumors before the deadline, it should be viewed more as due diligence than desperation. Asante Samuel Jr., Jalen Ramsey, Jamel Dean, and Daylen Everette have all given Pittsburgh enough at the position to justify staying the course for now.
The clearest sign of progress has come from the outside corners. Daylen Everette, Jamel Dean, and Asante Samuel Jr. have each flashed in a secondary that needed time to settle in after injuries and early-season turbulence. None of them is Joey Porter Jr. as an individual talent, but together they’ve formed a group that can carry its weight.
Everette had the loudest performance of the bunch this past week. Pro Football Focus ($) gave him a 98, the best mark on the Steelers’ defense, even though his workload was limited. He was charged with allowing just one catch, and even in a reduced role against the Browns, he kept showing he deserves more snaps.
Dean has stepped into a bigger role since Porter left, and he’s become the top corner in the room. His PFF grade of 47 wasn’t his strongest of the year, but the production still stood out: four catches allowed on seven targets for 31 yards. When he’s not on the injury report, he’s been a steady presence.
Samuel has also handled the added pressure well. Against Cleveland, he didn’t give up a reception on three targets in coverage, and PFF graded him at 74.3. He still needs to be more consistent, but he’s been a solid piece of the puzzle.
That trio helped Pittsburgh do something notable against the Browns: hold them to zero passing touchdowns. The Steelers may have given up some yardage through the air, but the secondary played at a high level. Even without Porter all season, the corners who stepped in have shown they can keep this defense on track.
In Other News...
Steelers Quarterback Depth Just Entered The Trade Deadline Conversation
The Steelers quarterback room is suddenly part of the trade deadline chatter, even if the situation still feels more theoretical than urgent. Pittsburgh is carrying four quarterbacks on its 53-man roster, with veteran Mason Rudolph among them, and that kind of depth naturally gets attention when the deadline starts creeping closer and teams around the league begin bracing for injuries.
ESPNs Jeremy Fowler floated Rudolph as a possible trade candidate in that context, though the broader read is that Pittsburgh is not expected to be active in that way. For now, it reads more like a league-wide what-if than a real sign the Steelers are preparing to deal from a position of strength, with any movement depending on how the quarterback market shifts elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Cornerback Regret Looks Worse With Every Week
The Steelers secondary decisions from the 2026 offseason are looking a little different now than they did then. Pittsburgh traded Joey Porter Jr. to the Cowboys and let James Pierre walk to Minnesota, a pair of moves that seemed manageable at the time but have taken on more weight as the season has gone on. Porter has been solid enough in Dallas, but Pierres rise with the Vikings has turned him into the more glaring what-if for a defense that could have used another dependable corner.
Pierre has settled in quickly in Minnesota and the coverage numbers have backed up the eye test, with a strong showing that has him sitting 12th among NFL cornerbacks. For the Steelers, the frustration is less about one bad decision than the combination of performance and cost, since Pierres contract was the kind of deal Pittsburgh could have kept in play. Instead, the front office is left watching a player it knew well thrive elsewhere while the question of whether he should have stayed in black and gold lingers a little longer each week. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Win Over Browns Just Sparked A New Rivalry Flashpoint
A routine extra-point sequence turned into one of the sharper postgame talking points from Pittsburgh's Week 8 win over Cleveland, when guard Mason McCormick drew an unnecessary roughness penalty after a hit on Browns defensive end Jared Verse. The play added another layer to a rivalry that rarely needs much help finding emotion, and it quickly drew attention well beyond the field as former Browns safety T.J. Ward weighed in on the hit.
McCormick said afterward that he did not know it was Verse on the other end of the collision and was simply following coaching instructions, while Verse made clear he was upset about the incident. Verse also said he had already discussed the situation with his Browns teammates, leaving the episode as one more flashpoint in a matchup that seems to keep finding new edges every time these teams meet. [Read more 🡒]