Steelers Lose Another Promising Young Player

Porter is one of multiple cornerbacks who have departed the Steelers recently amidst their playoff run, as veteran Tre Flowers was just released from the team's 53-man roster after signing with them ahead of Week 17.

Porter's Steelers Stint

Porter Jr., no relation to fellow corner Joey, went undrafted out of Miami last year. He started his collegiate career at West Virginia in 2020 and appeared in six games for the program as a freshman.

In 2021, Porter appeared in 13 contests for the Mountaineers and recorded 40 tackles to go with an interception.

He entered the transfer portal ahead of the 2022 season and ended up with the Hurricanes. Porter played in nine contests in his first year with the program and put up 11 tackles before tallying 23 tackles across nine games during the 2023 campaign.

During his senior campaign in 2024 at Miami, Porter appeared in 12 games and logged 28 tackles before declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft. The Bills signed him as an undrafted free agent, and he was later on July 28.

Porter then signed with the Steelers on August 5 and stood out during training camp, earning praise from defensive coordinator Teryl Austin as a result.

"I think Daryl's been a really good surprise coming from Buffalo," Austin said. "He just got on, as Mike (Tomlin) likes to say, he got on a moving train. But he really competes, he's got a great demeanor about him, and he's a young guy."

Porter finished with seven tackles for Pittsburgh during the preseason and signed to its practice squad after failing to crack the team's initial 53-man roster.

He was elevated to the game day roster for the Steelers' Week 16 matchup against the Detroit Lions with James Pierre out due to a calf injury and logged a single snap on defense to go alongside three special teams reps.

Porter was cut by Pittsburgh on December 29 and ultimately returned to Buffalo a week later.

State of Steelers' DB Depth

With both Pierre and Brandin Echols having returned from their recent injuries, the Steelers have just about their entire secondary intact for the playoffs.

Joey Porter Jr. and Pierre remain the team's starting boundary corners while Echols occupies that same role, just from the slot. Asante Samuel Jr. is the only other player at the position on Pittsburgh's active roster.

At safety, Jalen Ramsey and Kyle Dugger will continue holding down the starting spots while Sebastian Castro, Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers fill the reserve roles.

D'Shawn Jamison is also residing on the practice squad and is a prime elevation candidate for the playoffs after appearing in three games during the regular season, though he never played on defense during that span and instead was purely a special teamer.