Steelers Rule Out CB Joey Porter For Week 2

The Steelers have ruled out star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. for a second straight week, though it remains unclear if a lingering back injury or an impasse in contract talks is the true source.

Porter, 26, spent all of training camp on the physically unable to perform list due to his back issue. Head coach Mike McCarthy made the call to hold the fourth-year cornerback out of Week 1 with hopes he could ramp up and debut in Week 2.

But the situation took another turn. Porter was limited in Wednesday’s practice with “conditioning” listed as the cause, per Jonathan Jones of The Athletic. But Thursday’s injury report indicated that Porter was still dealing with his back injury, and on Friday, he was ruled out.

Typically, this would be a relatively straightforward case of a player needing some time to ramp up after missing time with a lingering injury. But Porter’s contract standoff with the Steelers raises questions about his status, especially since Jones and The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero note teams could try to trade for the disgruntled young corner. Such a move would likely cost at least a Day 2 pick and $25MM per year on a new extension, so interested clubs will likely want some assurances regarding Porter’s health.

Surveying the league the past two weeks, it has been difficult to find a potential taker for Porter, at that price, this early in the season,” Jones adds. “The trade deadline is nearly two months away, so there is time for Porter’s injury to heal, for him to return to the field for the Steelers or for the Steelers to deal him to a team that becomes interested.”

Pittsburgh is extremely unlikely to break their precedent and give Porter an extension during the season – certainly not one with the guarantee structure he wants. Jones also believes a quick trade would go against the team’s usual way of operating, especially with a franchise tag available at the end of the season for an affordable $23.12MM, well below the AAV of a long-term extension. For at least one more week, this saga will continue with Porter on the sidelines. But neither side wants that to be the case for much longer.