Add The California Post on Google The San Francisco 49ers have only played one game this season and are reportedly already looking to bolster their secondary.
According to ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler, he listed the 49ers as a potential destination for Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., as he and the team have reached “a tipping point.”
Porter Jr., who was selected with the final pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, has been in a contract dispute with the Steelers for the past year and could now find himself being traded to somewhere new.
Porter Jr., 26, has spent the majority of his life in the Pittsburgh area, as he played College Football at Penn State and watched his father, Joey Porter, play linebacker for the Steelers for seven years of his 11-year career. But with the dispute, it appears a trip out west could be in order.
Fowler wrote that the 49ers emerge as a potential landing spot for the 2023 NFL Rookie of the Year finalist because they have eight picks available in next year’s draft, as well as $45 million to spend, which would likely result in a contract extension for him.
On top of that, Fowler added that San Francisco could pair him to play alongside Demmodore Lenior and “would form a stout 1-2 cornerback combo.”
Porter Jr. has emerged as one of the NFL’s top press-man coverage cornerbacks and is one of the league’s lowest-targeted players at his position, as receivers caught 32 of 66 balls that were thrown his way.
California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, XCalifornia Post Opinion California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!California Post App: Download here!Home delivery: Sign up here!Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!
Last season, a lot of the struggles the 49ers defense had were in the secondary. Renardo Green, who is the team’s current cornerback playing opposite of Lenoir, had a strong second half last season, finishing the year with a 48.5% completion percentage against him.
But for San Francisco who just fell outside the bottom five defenses in giving up passing touchdowns [29], the acquisition of Porter Jr. could help retool their secondary unit in a tough NFC West division.
