Trading away starter Joey Porter Jr. was a monumental decision for the Pittsburgh Steelers front office, but its immediate consequences on the field proved disastrous in a 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Without Porter anchoring the outside, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s press-man scheme unraveled the moment cornerback Jamel Dean exited the game with an injury.
Left with backups Asante Samuel Jr. and Daylen Everette on the perimeter, the secondary was systematically targeted by Deshaun Watson. The lack of press coverage ability on the outside allowed Cleveland’s passing attack to erase bad field position and generate game-changing explosive plays.
On the “Locked On Steelers” podcast, host Christopher Carter highlighted how the secondary
depth crisis instantly dismantled the unit’s identity.
"And if you're not going to sign Joey Porter Jr. and he's going to go away and Jamel Dean goes down, now you're sitting there and your starting corners are Asante Samuel Jr. and Daylen Everette," Carter noted. "And neither and I thought Samuel kind of fought back in this game and I thought Everett had some okay moments, but they both got cooked fairly enough."
The stark void left by Porter was most evident after a brilliant Cameron Johnston punt pinned Cleveland at its own 1-yard line. Instead of feeling suffocated, Watson dropped back and immediately attacked Everette on a quick slant to kickstart a crucial drive.
"That's a play where Joey Porter Jr. says, 'You know what? I'm taking away inside leverage. I'm man pressing you, and you're not getting off the line, and if you do, it's going to take him too long to have to get after you, and our pass rush is going to get home,'" Carter explained.
Without physical press corners to delay route timing, the pass rush stalled, proving that front-office roster moves have swiftly compromised Pittsburgh’s defensive strength.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: How Joey Porter Jr. trade exposed Steelers secondary
