The Pittsburgh Steelers' current defensive core is aging out, and Joey Porter Jr. will be a key member of the present and the future.

The Steelers need Porter to take that next step towards joining the elite tier of NFL cornerbacks. He's an outstanding player, and he's been the Steelers' best player at that position since he was drafted. However, with most of Pittsburgh’s defensive stars in the latter stages of their respective careers, the Steelers will need Porter to become the type of leader in the locker room that both Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt have been for the team.

The Steelers decided to add higher-quality options to their cornerback room this offseason, signing Darius Slay and trading for Jalen Ramsey. This should serve to take a lot of pressure off the shoulders of their budding star cornerback.

How Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey will help Joey Porter Jr

Slay doesn't take a lot of penalties. Throughout his 11-year career, he's only been flagged 49 times. Ramsey also isn't a highly penalized player. With Porter going into only his third season, he's already been flagged 20 times. Last season in a matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, he was flagged six times, which gave the Bengals 57 yards they didn't have to earn. For the Steelers to return to the playoffs and advance, they'll need him to improve in that area drastically. Slay, along with new Ramsey, will hopefully be able to show Porter how to play tough coverage while avoiding numerous penalties.

This training camp will be a pivotal one for Porter. The saying “iron sharpens iron” is very fitting, as the additions of Slay and Ramsey should enable Porter to play with more freedom, with the added benefits of studying under two of the NFL's better cornerbacks. Porter will almost certainly be the No. 1 cornerback on the Steelers’ depth chart. However, you don't pay the type of money they're paying Ramsey for him not to be the de facto number one cornerback. Occasionally, both Ramsey and Porter will trail receivers, and Slay will likely be staying on one side of the field or the other.

Porter has all of the tools to be an elite cornerback for the Steelers, but he has to cut down on penalties and take the football away. Slay and Ramsey may just be what the doctor ordered.