The Steelers have used Joey Porter Jr. in the past to shadow top opponents, but they won’t do that against the Texans’ Nico Collins. As early as his rookie season in 2023, Porter earned the coaches’ trust to execute those assignments. Gradually, however, they have moved away from that, preferring a more balanced secondary.
And that is what the Steelers intend to stick to, DC Teryl Austin seemed to imply yesterday. Talking about Nico Collins, he said he “could be matched up with Joey [Porter], but like all things, we’re not going to leave him out there and say, ‘Hey, have fun’”, via transcript provided by the Steelers’ media department.