It's Joey Porter Jr. Time for Steelers
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers aren't doing anything a favor by holding Joey Porter Jr. back this season. If he wasn't ready, understandable, but he appears good enough to grow while he's playing - and the team needs more options at cornerback.
There's nothing wrong with playing Levi Wallace or Patrick Peterson. Both are starters in the NFL and capable of manning the Steelers outside corner spots. But neither should be playing nearly 100% of the defensive snaps for a 17-game season.
Why? Well, Peterson is 33 years old, and Wallace has competed in just three weeks against Deebo Samuels, Amari Cooper and Davante Adams. By the end of the season, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, DK Metfcal, DeAndre Hopkins and many others will have added themselves to that list.
Players get gassed. But on top of that, not everyone is capable of keeping up with superstars week-in and week-out. In fact, even the NFL's top cornerbacks can't do that.
So why not have options? Joey Porter Jr. leads the league amongst rookies in passer rating allowed and has made two crucial plays the last two weeks.
The Steelers have a process for new players, but it's time to toss that process out the window and let their second-round rookie take the field more often.
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