Joey Porter Jr. was a late insertion into the Steelers defense.
Despite coming off as the team's best corner, Pittsburgh wanted to wait before throwing him into the fire.
Well, it may have been for the better when analyzing his play down the stretch, though it came at the cost of some notoriety.
Thankfully, the PFWA just changed the latter:
.@JoeyPorterJr has been named to the @PFWAwriters All-Rookie team
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 23, 2024
: https://t.co/Kw1qsfwj4F pic.twitter.com/PJx2if7u63
Porter Jr. was acknowledged with Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon as the best at their position among other rookies.
Porter dressed in all 17 games but didn’t start until after the team's bye week following his game-clinching INT vs. Baltimore in Week 5 that put him on the map.
Peezy Jr. would go on to finish with 43 tackles and 10 pass breakups, but was often an afterthought in the media with Steelers defensive stars T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Cam Heyward hogging the spotlight (rightfully so).
So with Porter Jr. unlikely to win Defensive Rookie of the Year given the latest odds, winning team Rookie of the Year, and being named to the All-Rookie team is the cherry on top of a great rookie season.
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