The Pittsburgh Steelers put a second starting cornerback on the physically unable to perform list Tuesday, and this one arrived without warning.
Pittsburgh announced that Joey Porter Jr. will open training camp on PUP, according to The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo, who noted Porter was not among the players general manager Omar Khan mentioned during his morning media availability.
Neither Khan nor Mike McCarthy brought him up at all earlier in the day.
Joey Porter Jr.’s Back Injury Traces Back To Steelers OTAs
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported the reason. Porter aggravated his back during the team’s mobility workout Tuesday morning, per a source, which explains why his name never came up when Khan and McCarthy spoke earlier in the day.
Pryor also added the detail that matters more. Porter was on an exercise bike on and off throughout OTAs and minicamp this spring, and the team never disclosed what he was dealing with.
That reframes this. Whatever is going on with his back has been going on since May, and Tuesday morning was the aggravation rather than the origin.
Pittsburgh now opens camp without either starting cornerback. Jalen Ramsey landed on PUP earlier in the day with a knee injury Khan said should cost him roughly two weeks. Behind them sit Jamel Dean, signed in free agency this offseason, and Asante Samuel Jr.
For a defense that finished 26th in total yards allowed last season and just handed the keys to new coordinator Patrick Graham, losing both outside corners in the first week is not the start anyone drew up.
Joey Porter Jr. Contract Extension Still Unresolved At Camp
The timing is what makes this complicated.
Porter is entering the final year of his rookie contract as a 2023 second-round pick, and Pittsburgh has spent the offseason trying to extend him. Two of his draft classmates already got theirs. Nick Herbig signed a four-year deal worth up to $100 million and Darnell Washington agreed to four years and $42 million, which has made the silence around Porter louder.
The holdup is money. Porter’s side is pointing at a cornerback market that has exploded league-wide. The Steelers are pointing at a player who made his first genuinely elite leap only last season, without a Pro Bowl or All-Pro nod to show for it.
Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette laid out the gap on Sportsline With George Von Benko, saying he expects the two sides to land somewhere in between.
“I think $24-25 million is probably the number,” Fittipaldo said, adding that Porter is closer to $30 million and the team closer to $20 million.
There had also been speculation around Pittsburgh that Porter might hold in once camp opened, working off to the side rather than risk an injury before signing long term. Pryor’s reporting describes an actual aggravation during a team workout, not a negotiating posture.
Either way, a player in the middle of contract talks now starts camp on the shelf. The Steelers can remove him from PUP at any point before roster cuts on August 30. If no extension gets done, Porter is on track for free agency in 2027.
Steelers Hit With Surprise Joey Porter Jr. News at Training Camp