How does Joey Porter Jr. fit with every AFC East team?
We continue our series of team fits for Joey Porter Jr. Last week, we took a look at how he fits in both the AFC North. This week, we will start with the AFC East.
In last year’s draft, we saw two of these four teams select a cornerback with their first-round pick. The Jets took Sauce Gardner while the Bills took Kaiir Elam.
This is another deep class of corners, and it is likely we could see multiple go in the first round in 2023.
Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. has progressed every year at State College. Now, he has the chance to be selected in the first round this spring.
With the way he has progressed and how much he brings to the table, it would be surprising to see Porter Jr. fall out of the first round. There are plenty of teams that could use a corner like Joey Porter Jr.
Let’s take a look at how he fits with every team in the AFC East.
New England Patriots
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First, let’s talk about the Patriots. We have seen mock drafts with Porter Jr. selected to this team before. It does make sense. One of their starting corners, Jonathan Jones, is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2023. Jalen Mills is not up until 2025. However, he does have a potential out in 2023. The Patriots could go plenty of different ways with their first-round pick. They do need a true number one wide receiver. However, addressing their secondary early should not be out of the question either. Porter Jr. provides that leadership in their secondary room that New England needs. They have the depth, but not a lot of them are proven. Porter Jr. can come in and start right away and build an identity in their cornerback room. If the Patriots do end up losing one of their starting corners this offseason, Porter Jr. would be a perfect replacement.
New York Jets
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Next up we have the New York Jets. The Jets took Sauce Gardner in the first round last year, and he had a sensational rookie season. It seems likely that the Jets will look to a different area of need for their first-round pick after taking a corner in the top 5 in 2022. However, Porter Jr. would be fun to watch alongside Gardner. Another point worth noting is that their other starter, DJ Reed, is not up for a new contract until 2025. However, he does have a potential out in 2023. He is also coming off of one of his best seasons of his career. So it does seem unlikely that the Jets will move off of him. As mentioned, it does seem likely that the Jets will look elsewhere for their first-round pick this year. However, if they do decide to go the cornerback route, not only would Porter Jr. bring more depth, but he would also be a nice replacement for Reed if the Jets do decide to move off of him.
Buffalo Bills
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Next up we have the Buffalo Bills. They took Florida’s Kaiir Elam in last year’s draft. Tre’Davious White isn’t up until 2026, and he has a ton of dead cap for his potential 2023 out. Sure, the Bills might need the depth in their cornerback room. But this is also a position where they are probably safe not taking one early. However, with White’s veteran presence, that would not only help with the development of Porter Jr. and Elam, But that would also be an exciting trio of corners to watch in Buffalo. Again, White has developed into a productive corner in the NFL. After taking one in the first round last year, it would come as a bit of a surprise for the Bills to take one in the first round in 2023. However, if they were to take one, Porter Jr. can come in and compete for a starting role right away in Buffalo.
Miami Dolphins
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To finish off the AFC East, we have the Miami Dolphins. Now, this is a team that has the cornerback depth, but plenty are unproven. The Dolphins had more success in their rushing defense than they did with their passing defense, allowing just 234.8 passing yards per game versus just 103 rushing yards per game. The Dolphins gave Byron Jones a big contract a few years back. While he is not up until 2025, he does have a potential out in 2023. However, that does come with a bit of a hefty dead cap for Miami. They also just paid Xavien Howard, not making him unrestricted until 2027. The Dolphins have a few guys in their cornerback room locked in for the next few years. However, if they do decide to address this position early, Porter Jr. would provide really nice competition and would compete for a starting role on the Dolphins.
