Either he forgot about Sauce Gardner, or Joey Porter Jr. truly feels that the Jets' standout defensive back is not among the NFL's top-five cornerbacks. For whatever reason, Porter, the Pittsburgh Steelers' second-year defensive back, omitted Gardner from his list, which will surely trigger a reaction from Jets and NFL fans alike.
Porter tabbed the Titans' L'Jarius Sneed as the NFL's best cornerback, followed by the Chiefs' Trent McDuffie, the Bears' Jaylon Johnson, the Broncos' Patrick Surtain II and himself, according to Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz.
Porter said each of the cornerbacks are deserving of mention, but his decision to put himself ahead of Gardner is interesting, to say the least. Gardner, after all, was tabbed as an All-Pro in each of his first two seasons in the NFL. As a rookie, Gardner broke up a league-high 20 passes in addition to his first two career interceptions.
While Gardner not being included was a surprise, Porter putting himself on his list of the league's five best corners is not. Porter actually said earlier this offseason that he was the NFL's premier cornerback.
"Me for sure," Porter told via The Athletic back in May. "There are a lot of good DBs in this league, (but) nobody was doing what I was doing going against WR1s the entire year and locking him down. I don't care if I am mentioned in there or not because they are going to hear my name eventually."
One can certainly debate where Porter ranks among the league's top cornerbacks (Pro Football Focus has Porter ranked as the 32nd-best CB in the league while Gardner holds the top spot). One thing that everyone can agree on, though, is Porter's success as a rookie. The first player selected in the second round of the 2023 draft, Porter finished fifth in NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He made 11 starts last season and played a key role in the Steelers' defense ranking sixth in the NFL in points allowed.
Porter's first career pick, which occurred in Pittsburgh's own end zone against eventual league MVP Lamar Jackson, helped the Steelers eek out a Week 5 win over the Ravens.
This is another angle of Joey Porter Jr.'s first NFL INT against Lamar Jackson on 3rd and goal with 4 minutes and 10 seconds left in the game with the Ravens leading 10-8. pic.twitter.com/cUQL01Sgl7
— Billy Hartford (@BudDupreeFan) October 10, 2023
Porter will surely look to prove his point in Week 7, when Gardner and the Jets travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers in a "Sunday Night Football" showdown. Porter will likely have his hands full that day while trying to cover Garrett Wilson, the Jets' talented No. 1 receiver. Gardner will likely be tasked with covering George Pickens, who led the NFL in average yards per catch in 2023.
