Steelers rookie officially wins starting job

Several rookies from the Steelers 2023 draft class have impressed to begin the year. One has done so much that head coach Mike Tomlin named him a full-time starter the rest of the season.

Tomlin told reporters, including Nick Farabaugh of PGH Steelers Now, that rookie CB Joey Porter Jr., son of former LB Joey Porter, has earned the starting job over veteran CB Levi Wallace.

The decision to make Porter Jr. a starter was long overdue after his dominant start to the season. The rookie has allowed just three catches for 32 yards and recorded an interception on 14 targets, per Pro Football Focus.

Porter Jr.'s 9.8 passer rating allowed is so impressive because quarterbacks would have a higher passer rating (39.6) if they just threw the ball into the dirt.

The move to make Porter Jr. a starter makes even more sense given how Wallace and fellow veteran CB Patrick Peterson have been playing. Both have been consistently picked on and PFF ranks them among the NFL's worst cornerbacks.

Porter Jr. was selected No. 32 overall, the pick Pittsburgh acquired from the Bears for WR Chase Claypool. Porter Jr.'s promotion is just the latest reason why the Steelers won the trade by a landslide.

The rookie cornerback's Week 9 task against the Titans won't be easy, however. He will likely see a lot of All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins, who had four catches for 128 yards and three touchdowns last week.

QB Will Levis, Tennessee's 2023 second-round pick, is expected to start once again as QB Ryan Tannehill is still recovering from a high ankle sprain. Playing a rookie quarterback usually has defenses excited, but following Levis' four-touchdown debut, that may not be the case. 

Porter Jr. will have the opportunity to prove it was a fluke in primetime on "Thursday Night Football."