Former Player Says Joey Porter Jr. Didn't Hurt Steelers

A former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive linemen does't think the team has been as negatively impacted by the loss of Joey Porter Jr. as anticipated.

On the latest episode of his "Snap Count" podcast, Trai Essex laid out the reasons why he believes the Steelers have held up just fine without Porter Jr. as their No. 1 cornerback this season.

"I think they did not fumble the bag the way that these boys are playing right now," Essex said. "Initially, yes, do everything you can to bring [Porter Jr.} back. He is family, he is legacy, he has done everything that you want as a Steeler up until that point.

"From a talent standpoint and a depth standpoint, yes, I absolutely thought we needed him and I thought we fumbled it when we traded him away. But the way they've been playing since then, we have the 11th-ranked pass defense in the NFL. They've been doing what they're supposed to be doing."

Steelers Already Had a CB1 Not Named Porter Jr.

Would Pittsburgh's defense be better off with Porter Jr. as opposed to without it? The answer to that question is undoubtedly yes.

Porter Jr. has played at a star level in his three games for the Dallas Cowboys since the Steelers dealt him for a 2028 second-round pick and conditional 2027 sixth-rounder on September 30.

Back to Essex's point, however, Pittsburgh has not taken as devastating a hit as expected without Porter Jr. on the field this season, and one of the main reasons for that is Jamel Dean.

When Dean signed a three-year, $36.75 million deal with Pittsburgh in free agency this past offseason, he was set to serve as the team's No. 2 corner opposite Porter Jr.

September 20, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jamel Dean (35) warms up before a game New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Because Porter Jr. did not play at all for the Steelers leading up to his trade as a result of his contract dispute, Dean was thrust into that top role at the position.

The 30-year-old has been fantastic while handling those duties too, and there was no bigger example than when he helped lead Pittsburgh to a Week 6 comeback victory over his former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with six passes defended and an interception late in the fourth quarter that helped send the game into overtime.

It's no surprise that Dean has played so well, as he was a staple of Tampa Bay's defense for seven seasons and won Super Bowl LV with the team in 2020, but it just goes to show that the Steelers already had a contingency plan of sorts in place if the Porter Jr. situation went haywire, even if that wasn't the intent when the former was initially brought in.

Dean does come with some durability concerns, and he did miss Pittsburgh's Week 5 win over the Indianapolis Colts with an ankle injury.

When he's out on the field, though, he's been a truly indispensable part of a Steelers defense that's proven to be a top-10 unit in the league overall.

Should Steelers Make CB Trade Before Deadline?

Regardless of Dean's performance so far this season, however, Pittsburgh would benefit from adding a cornerback ahead of the November 10 trade deadline.

Asante Samuel Jr.'s had his moments, though he's been inconsistent while primarily serving as the team's No. 2 corner.

Third-round rookie Daylen Everette has shown some flashes too, but he has logged just 14 defensive snaps over the past two weeks and is still pretty raw.

The Steelers don't really need help in the slot with Jalen Ramsey as the starter and Brandin Echols as his backup there, so really their need comes on the boundary.

With Sean Murphy-Bunting and Terell Smith not seeing the field at all on defense in their three games on the 53-man roster while the same can be said as a whole for Doneiko Slaughter, Pittsburgh doesn't have a littany of options on the outside.

The defense is in good shape overall, though it's easy to see a world in which the group's lack of a bona fide corner next to Dean on the boundary could come back to haunt them down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs if they get there.

For that reason, cornerback is right up there with wide receiver in terms of the Steelers' biggest needs before the trade deadline.

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