A deepening contract stalemate and recurring back issues sideline the star cornerback, leaving Pittsburgh’s depleted secondary to face Drake Maye without their top defensive weapon.
The saga between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Joey Porter Jr. continued on Friday as the two have been unable to agree to a contract extension before the season.
Porter missed most of training camp due to a back injury, but the Steelers medical staff cleared him before he was taken off the PUP list. During Week 1, he was listed as questionable to play because of the back injury and did not in fact play in the Steelers' win over the Falcons.
On Wednesday, Pittsburgh changed the status for Porter, listing him as limited due to NIR/conditioning, meaning he was limited because of a non-injury reason. On Thursday, Porter left the practice field with a trainer, and the Week 2 injury report added "back" to his status.
On Friday's final injury report, Pittsburgh ruled Porter out after he was limited in practice all three days this week.
The Steelers marked wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. as questionable to play because of a foot injury. He did not practice on Thursday or Friday. Offensive tackle Troy Fautanu was listed as questionable to play after being a full participant on Friday.
On Friday, ESPN's Brooke Pryor published a report where a source suggested Porter might not suit up for the Steelers again. Porter and his camp were unhappy with the structure of the contract extension they offered, which didn't offer the cornerback enough fully guaranteed.
While Porter is in the midst of a contract dispute with the Steelers, his teammates seem to have his back.
"We're here to support Joey in any way possible," Cameron Heyward said.
"I wish it would've got done, not my decision, but I still think he's going to be a Pittsburgh Steeler in the future, and I just want to support Joey the best way I can. Hopefully he comes back to us whenever he's ready, and we'll go from there."
Whenever might be a while if things don't change.
The Steelers benefited from playing against Cooper Rush, the Falcons' third-string quarterback in Week 1. Pittsburgh will face a much tougher test without Porter on Sunday when it faces Drake Maye.
