The Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to inch closer to an extension with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. But even if the team ends the summer long contract dispute, that doesn’t mean the 26-year-old will be ready to go in Week 1 on Sunday.
The Steelers have a very clean bill of health entering the 2026 regular season. However, Porter was on the team’s injury report to begin the practice week Wednesday.
Porter was limited in Wednesday’s practice session because of his back.
Although some pundits have speculated the cornerback was covering up a contract hold-in situation with the back ailment, Porter spent training camp and the entire preseason on the PUP list because of the back injury.
The Steelers will open the 2026 regular season at home versus the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, September 13.
CB Joey Porter Jr. on Steelers First Injury Report
With pundits closely linking Porter’s back injury with his contract dispute, it’s difficult to say how serious it is the cornerback is on the injury report. Obviously, it’s not the best news. But Porter might still not be practicing fully because he doesn’t have a new deal yet.
NFL insider Mike Florio also correctly pointed out it’s also difficult to judge how “limited” Porter was Wednesday. The good news is he was reportedly practicing in some capacity.
After the league’s roster deadline, Steelers general manager Omar Khan called Porter healthy enough to join the active roster. Porter, though, appeared to take a more cautious approach when he addressed his injury on September 1.
While speaking to reporters, the cornerback essentially called himself “day to day.”
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday the Steelers finally made a contract offer to Porter. Garafolo previously reported in August and early September that that hadn’t happened yet.
However, pundits and fans mostly considered Garafolo’s report bad news because the insider characterized the offer as not close to sealing the deal for Porter.
“The Steelers have made an offer,” Garafolo said on NFL Network’s The Insiders on Tuesday night. “It is not good enough for this one to be deemed close, but the Steelers are showing a willingness to engage, which means we’ve got a couple days for both sides to figure out what are the right numbers.”
In summary, the Steelers have multiple concerns with Porter’s Week 1 availability.
First, the team needs to sign Porter to an extension. But also, his health. The two might be related, but that won’t become clear until the two sides reach a contract agreement.
Steelers Get Positive First 2026 Injury Report
A lot of focus has been on Porter lately with the Steelers and rightfully so. If the organization remains steadfast in its policy to not negotiate contracts during the regular season, the Steelers only have three more days to strike a deal with Porter.
With the injury report, all eyes were on the cornerback as well. But the reason for that was the clean bill of health Mike McCarthy’s club has otherwise.
“We’re healthy,” said McCarthy on Monday to the media. “I don’t really expect anybody to have a hard time getting ready.”
McCarthy may have actually been including Porter with that comment. That would confirm the suspicion that Porter’s practice availability may be more tied to his contract negotiations.
But again, that won’t be confirmed until the cornerback has a new deal.
Steelers Have Multiple Concerns With Joey Porter Jr. Week 1 Availability