In his first media availability since failing to reach an extension agreement with the Steelers, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. denied requesting a trade but insisted he would “definitely” play this season as soon as he is healthy.
“It didn’t get done,” Porter said of his contract negotiations (via Mike DeFabo of The Athletic). “It didn’t happen. That’s that’s really just old news for me now. It’s mainly just focused on what I got ahead of me, and just really just getting back to 100%.”
Porter missed Pittsburgh’s first two games this season. He was listed as a limited participant on the Week 1 injury report with a lingering back injury. He remained limited in Week 2 with his designation changed to “non-injury related/back/conditioning,” raising questions about his status. On Thursday, Porter said that both his back and conditioning were still obstacles to his full return to the field.
“My back has its moments where it flares up here and there,” Porter added. “We’re still just trying to get my conditioning down.” The 26-year-old also denied that he sought a second opinion on his back. He was noncommittal about his ability to play in Week 3, but indicated he was upgraded to full practice participation for the first time this season.
“We’ve still got two more days to practice,” Porter said. “I just know I did everything today, and it went smooth. So we’re gonna just keep working.”
The Steelers have called on Asante Samuel Jr. and Jamel Dean to start at outside cornerback during Porter’s absence with Jalen Ramsey and Jaquan Brisker taking most of the snaps in the slot. Samuel has struggled to start the year, allowing 107 yards on five catches (seven targets) and missing three of his nine tackle attempts, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Dean, conversely, has been excellent, allowing just 53 yards on six catches (eight targets) with zero missed tackles. He will likely remain in the starting lineup with Porter replacing Samuel once he is healthy enough to play.
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