Gerry Dulac: With Joey Porter Jr. gone, Daylen Everette and the Steelers corners must embrace this challenge

Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Oct 4, 2026

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers began the 2026 season with hopes that their cornerback position could be the deepest and strongest they have had in years.

In the offseason, they signed Jamel Dean to partner with Joey Porter Jr. They drafted Daylen Everette in the third round. And they brought back Asante Samuel Jr.

Those moves were designed to bring stability to a position that has been anything but stable in recent years.

That, though, has all changed after the Steelers traded Porter, their top cornerback, to the Dallas Cowboys.

“I’ve been in that situation before. It can leave a sour taste in people’s mouth, especially the fans,” defensive back Jalen Ramsey said after Thursday’s loss in Cleveland. “But Joey loved Pittsburgh. He loved his team. The Steelers chose which route they wanted to go, as well.

“It’s not all on Joey. I know it’s easy for people to want to be mad at Joey or whatever the case may be. But it’s a business decision. It happens, and everybody moves on.”

The Steelers were preparing to use Porter against the Browns, but it all blew up Wednesday, when the former Penn State cornerback started complaining about his back again and left practice.

That was the final straw for the Steelers, who traded him to the Cowboys hours later.

They received a second-round pick in 2028 and a conditional sixth-round draft pick in 2027. Porter has to be on the Cowboys’ active roster for at least two games this season for the Steelers to receive the sixth-round pick.

“You never hope business gets in the way of your preparation and playing, but it’s the modern NFL,” Steelers coach Mike McCarthy said. “It was a situation where it’s been going on for some time. As an organization, we felt like this was the best thing for us.”

For now, the Steelers will rely on Dean, Samuel and Everette to replace Porter. Samuel played very well against the Browns after being replaced in the second half last week against the Cincinnati Bengals.

But Dean injured his ankle in the second quarter in Cleveland and never returned. That forced Everette to play 52 snaps, twice as many as he had against the Bengals.

Everette is going to make mistakes — he was beaten for a 61-yard pass on his first snap of Thursday’s game — but the Steelers think enough of the rookie from Georgia to help him through some of the gaffes.

“With corners, I just know my personal history as a head coach, that’s a position that’s a challenge,” McCarthy said. “It’s a sub-offense, sub-defense league. It has been for decades. Those guys play a lot of football. When it happens, our young guys have to rally, and we keep playing.”

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