The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2026 offseason practices concluded in the middle of June. Next up is the team’s annual training camp, which will get underway in late July at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.
Ahead of that, we will preview the team’s offseason roster three players at a time as part of a multi-post series. This Steelers 90-in-30 roster preview, which includes outlooks for every player, is organized alphabetically by last name for an easy follow-along.
This series figures to exceed 90 players this year as the team can carry 91 players during the offseason due to the allowance of one international player designation.
The next three players we will preview ahead of Steelers 2026 training camp are CB Joey Porter Jr., CB Daryl Porter and ILB Patrick Queen.
CB Joey Porter Jr.: Overall, the 2025 season was above-the-line when it comes to the play of Joey Porter Jr. after he registered one interception, 52 total tackles, one sack and 14 passes defensed in the 14 games he played. He did miss three regular season games in 2025 due to a hamstring injury, however. In the Steelers lone playoff game, Porter registered two total tackles and two passes defensed in the team’s loss to the Houston Texans.
According to Pro Football Focus metrics, Porter finished third overall in the NFL in passer rating allowed, third in forced incompletions and sixth overall completion rate allowed for the 2025 season. He also did not allow a receiving touchdown in 2025, per PFF’s charting.
While Joey Porter Jr. was flagged fewer times in 2025 than he was in 2024, he still was penalized nine times in total during the regular season. Five of those 2025 penalties for pass interference with two more being for defensive holding.
He also registered a missed tackle rate of 13.8 percent during the 2025 season, the highest of his NFL career to date.
Outlook: Will the Steelers sign Joey Porter Jr. to a contract extension prior to the start of the 2026 regular season? Yes, I think they will. Whether that happens or not, the expectation will still be that the former second round pick out of Penn State will have his best NFL season to date.
While Porter might not switch sides all that often in 2026, mainly because of CB Jamal Dean likely being tied to one side of the defense most of the time, Joey Porter Jr. still should have plenty of opportunities to cover the opposing team’s top wide receiver. With new Patrick Graham now running the show on defense, we are likely to see a lot more two-high safety coverages in Pittsburgh. That means plenty of help for Joey Porter Jr. over the top.
Porter’s biggest 2026 goals should include him keeping his penalties down in addition to registering a few more takeaways, both of which have been primary issues for him ever since his college days. While it’s unlikely that Porter will ever become an interception machine in the NFL, he should be able to start registering more than two in a single season moving forward.
While Porter has become a better run defender and tackler since entering the NFL, there is still some room for improvement in both of those areas. Accomplishing that improvement in 2026 will help round him into even more of a complete top cornerback in the NFL.
In summation, Joey Porter Jr. should have every chance at becoming one of the NFL’s top shutdown cornerbacks in 2026. He’s already a good NFL cornerback. The Steelers, however, think he can become a great NFL cornerback this season. That should result in a mega contract extension for him prior to Week 1.
CB Daryl Porter: After being originally signed by the Buffalo Bills in 2025 as an undrafted free agent out of Miami, Daryl Porter ultimately landed with the Steelers last August. He went on to play nearly 90 snaps during the preseason for the Steelers in addition to 15 more snaps on special teams. Most of those defensive preseason snaps came as an outside cornerback.
While he ultimately failed to make the Steelers’ initial 53-man roster out of the 2025 preseason, Porter signed to the team’s practice squad to start the regular season. He remained on the Steelers’ practice squad for most of the 2025 season and was even elevated to the gameday active/inactive roster for one contest last season. In the one game he appeared in last season, Porter logged one defensive snap at outside cornerback and three more on special teams.
Daryl Porter ultimately ended the 2025 season on the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad, and they signed him to a Reserve/Future contract in January. After being jettisoned by the Bills in June, Porter signed back with the Steelers several days later.
During his college career, which included him playing at West Virginia and Miami (FL), Daryl Porter registered 108 total tackles, three tackles for loss, one interception, and 18 passes defensed. He played outside cornerback and slot cornerback during his college career in addition to logging playing time on special teams.
Outlook: While Daryl Porter Jr. seemed to be pegged as an outside cornerback by the Steelers in 2025, it will be interesting to see what the new coaching staff thinks of him as this summer during training camp and the preseason. Will he get any work as a slot cornerback this summer? We’ll see. Regardless, he should once again receive plenty of playing time during the preseason, assuming he stays healthy and keeps his roster spot throughout training camp.
Overall, Daryl Porter Jr. will face an uphill battle this summer when it comes to his chances of making the initial 53-man roster. That’s mainly because the Steelers have a nice depth chart at the cornerback position ahead of training camp getting underway. At the very least, he should have a good shot at making the Steelers’ initial practice squad at the start of the regular season, especially if can show himself to be a versatile cornerback during the preseason. Playing well on special teams is also key.
The fact that Porter was able to get himself elevated for one game last season carries at least a little weight. Even so, the Steelers now have a retooled defensive coaching staff this year. With that comes no guarantees that he will remain in Pittsburgh past the preseason.
ILB Patrick Queen: The second season for Queen in Pittsburgh ended up being a lot like his first one. He registered 120 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, one sack, five quarterback hits, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and seven passes defensed in the 1,112 snaps that he played on defense.
While Pro Football Focus gave Queen an overall defensive grade of 44.0 for his 2025 play, his high missed tackle rate and overall coverage grade seemingly played a big part in it being so low. As part of his low coverage grade from PFF, they charted him as allowing three receiving touchdowns in 2025.
While Queen did not register any interceptions in 2025, he did have a few opportunities. There were passes that went through his hands or off his body.
Overall, Queen’s play in 2025 was up-and-down and very inconsistent, something even NFL executives took note of.
Outlook: The 2026 season will be Queen’s third with the Steelers. The hopes and expectations are that it will be his best NFL season to date. This season is also currently slated to be the final year of Queen’s current contract. Assuming he’s not signed to an extension prior to Week 1, odds are good that he will become an unrestricted free agent in March and a still youthful age of 27.
As has been the case since he arrived in Pittsburgh, Queen should be an every-down player once again in 2026. With the Steelers now having a rebuilt defensive coaching staff and defensive unit, Queen should be able to make a strong run at having a career year in 2026. That could include him setting a new career high in total tackles for a single season.
Queen’s missed tackle rate in 2025 was the worst of his career, so that’s one key area that he must improve in this season, especially if the Steelers are to make improvements against the run in 2026. As the expected green dot wearer once again in 2026, Queen’s communication skills need to take a leap forward in 2026 as well. While DT Cameron Heyward is the captain of the Steelers’ defense, Queen is the quarterback of the unit. Communication issues that have plagued this defense must stop.
The Steelers depth at the inside linebacker position is questionable heading into the 2026 season, so it’s imperative that Queen stays healthy again this year. He’s had no problem doing that throughout his NFL career as evidenced by him never missing a game since the Baltimore Ravens drafted him in 2020.
A 2026 season that includes Queen registering at least 130 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and four takeaways is certainly achievable. If he’s able to register that kind of 2026 stat line, in addition to getting his missed tackle rate back in line, Queen could have a legitimate shot at being the Steelers’ defensive MVP this season. He might even wind up getting a few All-Pro votes.
Previous Posts In This Series:
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Drew Allar, Spencer Anderson, Kyler Baugh
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Jaheim Bell, Keeanu Benton, Germie Bernard
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Yahya Black, Chris Boswell, Devan Boykin
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Jaquan Brisker, Carson Bruener, Cole Burgess
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Sebastian Castro, Dylan Cook, Greg Crippen
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Jamin Davis, Joaquin Davis, Jamel Dean
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Rico Dowdle, Jack Driscoll, Gennings Dunker
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Brandin Echols, DeShon Elliott, Daylen Everette
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, Pat Freiermuth
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — JJ Galbreath, Anthony Goodlow, Derrick Harmon
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Malik Harrison, Ahmari Harvey, Eli Heidenreich
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Jack Henderson, Nick Herbig, Cameron Heyward
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Alex Highsmith, Brock Hoffman, Cole Holcomb
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Travis Homer, Will Howard, Max Hurleman
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Max Iheanachor, D’Shawn Jamison, Kevin Jobity Jr.
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Kaleb Johnson, Cameron Johnston, Broderick Jones
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Steven Jones, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Donte Kent
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Christian Kuntz, Logan Lee, Dean Lowry
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Tamon Lynum, Laith Marjan, Ryan McCollum
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Mason McCormick, Lake McRee, DK Metcalf
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Doug Nester, Lew Nichols, Riley Nowakowski
90 In 30: Steelers 2026 Training Camp Preview Series — Esezi Otomewo, A.T. Perry, Michael Pittman Jr.