Steelers honour Ike Taylor as greatest No. 24 in franchise history
With 24 days remaining until the 2026 season opener, the Pittsburgh Steelers have identified two-time Super Bowl champion Ike Taylor as the most significant player to wear jersey number 24.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have released the 24th instalment of their countdown to the 2026 NFL season, a feature dedicated to analysing the history of specific jersey numbers. In this edition, the franchise has identified two-time Super Bowl champion cornerback Ike Taylor as the greatest player to wear number 24 in its history. The team is currently 24 days away from its season opener, which is scheduled for 13 September against the Atlanta Falcons.
According to the Steelers’ official countdown, Taylor’s legacy is defined by consistency rather than individual accolades. Drafted by Pittsburgh with the 125th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft, Taylor initially served as a kick returner. He transitioned to the starting outside cornerback role in 2005, playing opposite Deshea Townsend. Over a 12-year tenure with the club, Taylor recorded 14 interceptions across 174 games before retiring in 2015.
The current active player wearing number 24 for the Steelers is cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Porter has held the number since 2023 but is presently listed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. The franchise’s recent history with the jersey includes several other players, with the last five wearers being Porter Jr., Benny Snell Jr. (2019–2022), Coty Sensabaugh (2017–2018), Justin Gilbert (2016), and Doran Grant (2015).
The Steelers’ feature notes that the team is officially in the middle of the training camp edition of its pre-season coverage. This institutional review of jersey lineage serves to contextualise the current roster against past standards of performance, highlighting Taylor’s two Super Bowl titles as the benchmark for the number.
The source material, provided by Yahoo Sports, frames the countdown as a way for fans to engage with franchise history while awaiting the return of the "Steel City brand of football." The article emphasises that there is no argument regarding Taylor’s status as the best No. 24 in Steelers history, a designation that underscores the value placed on sustained excellence over the course of a career.
As the team prepares for its match against the Falcons, the focus remains on both the historical significance of the numbers on the field and the immediate readiness of the current squad, particularly concerning the status of Porter Jr.
