Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike McCarthy expects cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to return to the lineup soon following his Week 1 absence against Atlanta.
The veteran cornerback was inactive as his team picked up a 20-13 victory at Acrisure Stadium on open the season on Sunday, Sept. 13. Asante Samuel Jr. started in his place.
The stated reason for Porter's absence from the Steelers was a back issue that caused him to be listed as questionable on the injury report all week. It was the same reason given for his absence during training camp and the preseason, but fractured contract negotiations have loomed over that explanation from the jump.
The Steelers have a long-standing
policy of not negotiating contracts once the season begins. Porter is entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2026 and is now set to become a free agent unless he reaches a new deal at the end of the year – or unless the team uses the franchise tag to hold onto him this coming offseason.
McCarthy demured when asked directly whether Porter’s absence was injury related or a holdout.
“I would clearly still put him finishing up the ramp-up stage as far as where he is,” McCarthy said. “We sat down and talked about it. Talk about the plan for next week. He’s definitely ready to do more. So we’ll see how that goes. He’ll do something tomorrow, and then hopefully we can take his snaps up at Wednesday’s practice.
“The business part of it, that’s not for me to speak on. But, yeah, we had a plan for him to go through ramp-up workout through last week, and that’s really the timeline we’re just hopefully coming to an end to.”
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported that Porter Jr. was deemed healthy enough to play before the game.
The Steelers pass defense performed well in Porter’s absence. Falcons quarterback Cooper Rush completed just 12 passes for 143 yards on the afternoon. Running back Bijan Robinson accounted for 90 of those yards. Falcons receivers and tight ends accounted for just 53 yards downfield. Top receiver Drake London was held to two catches for 29 yards.
“I thought they did a really nice job,” McCarthy said, referring to Samuel and fellow cornerbacks Jamel Dean and rookie Daylen Everette. “Obviously, all eyes on the running back. I thought our guys played well outside throughout the defense.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steelers' Mike McCarthy says injury, not contract, kept Joey Porter Jr. out of Week 1
