PITTSBURGH -- Joey Porter Jr. is back on the practice field, but the Steelers cornerback still isn’t offering any certainty about whether he’ll be ready to suit up in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons on September 13.
Porter, now activated off the physically unable to perform list, said Tuesday that the back injury that kept him out of training camp is improving, though he stopped well short of saying he’s fully recovered. The Steelers have declared him healthy, and head coach Mike McCarthy said the team will begin to “ramp up” his work as he returns to practice.
Still, Porter made clear that the decision on his availability is not in his hands alone.
“I don’t know (if I’ll play Week 1). I have to talk to the guys upstairs, my agents about that one,” Porter said.
That uncertainty extends beyond the injury. Porter also said he remains unsure whether a contract will be completed before the Week 1 deadline set by general manager Omar Khan. Pittsburgh has a long-running organizational policy of not negotiating contracts in-season, and Porter acknowledged that both sides appear to understand where things stand.
“It’s been tough, not going to lie. It’s my first go around this.
But, I mean, it’s been also great because I have all my guys with me, all the coaches and players really are on my side. I understand everything about the business side of things.
So it’s not really too much to go about,” Porter said. “...
I can hope something gets done. But it’s up to the people upstairs.”
Porter’s comments about his Week 1 status were a moving target. At one point he said he would “for sure, maybe” play against the Falcons, then later backed off that idea and said he couldn’t know what comes next.
“I can’t read the future. I couldn’t even give you that answer, to be honest,” Porter said.
The back issue still lingers, even if the cornerback says it’s trending in the right direction. He described the process as gradual, with nearly two weeks left to keep building toward game shape.
“It’s feeling pretty good. It’s getting back to where it’s supposed to be.
I’m not saying it’s at 100 percent. But we’re still working on things, we’re still ramping stuff up.
We’ve just gotta keep stacking them day by day,” Porter said.
Porter believes the missed time in camp won’t derail him if he does get onto the field in Week 1.
“I’m a ball player. I’m an athlete. I don’t think that would be a problem,” Porter said.
The contract picture remains tied to a booming cornerback market. Seattle’s Devon Witherspoon recently landed $33 million per year, and New England’s Christian Gonzalez is next in line for a deal that is expected to top that. Porter did not say whether he wants to surpass Witherspoon’s figure or simply stay in that top tier, but the market clearly has his situation moving alongside bigger numbers.
His connection to Pittsburgh adds another layer. Porter’s father, Joey Sr., played and coached with the Steelers, and Porter said that family and hometown ties make the situation more personal.
“It definitely adds to it. I mean, I’m from here.
My family lives here, my cousin went to high school here, so they know I’m a hometown kid. So whatever they see fit is what we’re going to do with it, and all I can do is just show up and be ready and prepare for that,” Porter said.
On top of the injury and contract questions, Porter is also learning a new defense. New defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has brought in fresh ideas under McCarthy, though Graham has said there will be plenty of similarities to Mike Tomlin’s defense. Porter has stayed engaged in team meetings throughout the process, picking up the language while watching from the sideline.
“I don’t really think it’s a big problem. A defense is a defense.
It’s all the same stuff, just different languages. So as long as you get the concept with that, then you should be good overall,” Porter said.
Porter has also watched three of his 2023 draft classmates get extensions before him: Nick Herbig, Darnell Washington, and Keeanu Benton. He said he wasn’t bothered by that order and was happy to see his close friends get paid.
“No, not at all. I was really just happy that they got theirs done, you know.
I came in with those guys, me, (Nick) Herb(ig), and Keeanu (Benton), and even (Darnell) Washington. We all came in together.
Those are my guys. So I was ecstatic that they got paid.
It’s well-deserved. It’s well-earned.
So I’m happy that they get to feed their families and do what they want to do with their money that they earn,” Porter said.
Porter said he’s also leaning on advice from Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt, two players who have dealt with public contract disputes of their own with the Steelers.
The team would still have the franchise tag available next year if a deal with Porter does not come together.
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