The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to benefit from the pairing of Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay in the 2025 season. Porter, a promising young talent, has demonstrated strong defensive skills with a passer rating of 77.4 when targeted over his first two NFL seasons. His new teammate, Slay, brings extensive experience and accolades from his 12-season career, including six Pro Bowl selections and one first-team All-Pro honor.
Slay’s reputation for effectively covering top wide receivers and intercepting passes is well-established. He has accumulated 28 career interceptions and 160 pass breakups, consistently achieving high performance in this area throughout his career. “That’s what my job is, to make plays on the football,” Slay remarked earlier this week.
Porter had a solid year in 2024 with ten pass breakups but aims to improve further with guidance from Slay. “I think Joey’s a great guy, a great player… I’m here to keep him climbing to his ceiling,” said Slay about mentoring Porter.
In league news, an attempt to ban the “tush push” play at the Spring League Meeting narrowly failed by two votes. The play was criticized for being unexciting rather than unstoppable. A modified proposal is expected for consideration in 2026.
Meanwhile, NFL players have been approved to compete in flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. This decision aligns with the league’s support for flag football initiatives across the country.
Additionally, a new award titled “The Protector of the Year” will be introduced to recognize offensive linemen’s contributions. It will be voted on by former NFL linemen.
The Steelers will commence their on-field organized team activities (OTAs) next Tuesday as part of their offseason training program. These sessions will lead into their mandatory minicamp scheduled for June 10-12.
