The Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr. situation is still hanging in the air as Pittsburgh turns its attention to a Week 3 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, and head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t offer much certainty when asked where things stand.
Porter Jr. has already missed the first two games of the season, appearing on the injury report with both a back injury and an “NIR/conditioning” designation before the Week 2 loss to the New England Patriots. His back has been an issue since the start of training camp, when it landed him on the PUP list.
McCarthy said the latest setback came after the injury flared up in practice.
"Joey's in this situation where he had a back thing that flared up in practice, and we're taking a look at it. He'll be evaluated on Wednesday and see what he can do in practice come Wednesday," McCarthy said.
That update comes after McCarthy had suggested following Pittsburgh’s Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons that Porter Jr. was moving toward a bigger workload in practice. Instead, that progress never really showed up. He was limited again all last week, just as he had been in the build-up to the season opener.
That lines up with the report that Porter Jr. left practice with a trainer on September 17.
For now, the key question is simple: how much can he do once the Steelers get back on the field, and what does that mean for his status against Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and the Bengals at Acrisure Stadium?
The contract side of this story is still there, too. Porter Jr. and the Steelers are not expected to reach an extension anytime soon, since the team is against negotiating in-season.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Porter Jr. has considered getting a second opinion on his back. Schefter also said the Steelers are planning on him to "potentially return" vs. Cincinnati, though that still doesn’t guarantee he’ll be active.
CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson reported before Pittsburgh’s game against the Patriots that someone inside the organization told her Porter Jr. had been cleared of his back injury and is "expected to be in good enough football shape," with the final call on playing left to him.
So the situation remains unresolved. Whether Porter Jr. is on the field in Week 3 or not, the Steelers need some movement here soon, because this is one of those issues that can’t keep drifting from week to week.
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