There have been conflicting reports about whether Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. is going to make his season debut in Week 3 against the Bengals. The Steelers are planning for him to return, but other sources have said his back has flared up when he tries to go full speed.
Speaking to the media in the locker room on Thursday, Porter answered a variety of questions, via Mark Kaboly.
Porter has been listed on the injury report at times for his back and other times for conditioning. He said it’s a combination of both keeping him out, as his back will flare up at times and his conditioning isn’t ready yet.
“It’s both, my back has its moments where it’ll flare up here and there and you know we’re still trying to get my conditioning down and just me being out there as much as possible,” Porter Jr. said.
He was then asked if his conditioning is up to par to be ready to play on Sunday. He wouldn’t say one way or another, but did express optimism about how his full participation in Thursday’s practice went.
“I don’t know, we’ve still got two more days to practice so we can figure that out… I did everything today, and it went smooth, so we’re gonna just keep working.”
Porter said he doesn’t know where reports that he was seeking a second opinion on his back came from, and he was clear that he hasn’t requested a trade.
The Steelers have a policy of not negotiating long-term deals during the season, and that deadline has obviously passed. Porter called the lack of an extension “old news” at this point and is shifting his focus to what’s yet to come, specifically getting back to 100 percent.
Finally, Porter said he definitely sees himself playing at some point this year. When asked if the situation has hurt his relationship with the team, he made it clear him and the guys in the locker room are still fully in support of one another.
The backdrop for all of this is the lack of progress between the Steelers and Porter on a new contract.
Porter started training camp on the PUP list with a back injury with his contract in limbo. He was activated from the list late in training camp and started ramping up, and the back was removed from his injury designation.
However, Porter exited practice the following day, citing his back, and was ruled out from playing in Week 2.
Porter, 26, is the son of longtime NFL OLB Joey Porter and was a three-year starter at Penn State, earning third-team All-Big 10 honors for two years and first-team honors his final season.
The Steelers selected Porter with the first pick of the second round in the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s entering the final year of a four-year, $9,618,343 rookie contract that included a $3,995,158 signing bonus and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
In 2025, Porter appeared in 14 games for the Steelers and recorded 52 total tackles, one sack, one interception, and 14 pass deflections.
We’ll have more on Porter as the news is available.
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