Joey Porter Jr. may be inching closer to a real return, and that’s exactly the kind of update Steelers fans have been waiting for.
Mike McCarthy said before a recent practice that the fourth-year cornerback is set to handle more work, a small but meaningful shift after a rocky start to the week. Porter Jr. was on the field ahead of the Steelers’ Week 2 matchup with the New England Patriots, but he remained a limited participant. His injury label also changed, moving from a back injury to non-injury related due to condition.
That left both sides wanting more.
McCarthy, who has been clear since training camp that he came to Pittsburgh to win right away and wants to coach Porter Jr., offered a more encouraging note this time around.
"He’s scheduled to do more today than he did yesterday,"
That doesn’t lock in anything just yet. Porter Jr. being scheduled for a heavier workload does not guarantee he’ll actually get it, and the Steelers have already seen a version of this before. He did more in the team’s previous practice than he had going into Week 1, but it still wasn’t much.
Even so, there’s at least a path here. If Porter Jr. can move from limited work to full participation, that would put him in position to make his season debut against the Patriots.
The bigger picture hasn’t changed. The Steelers want their top coverage cornerback back on the field, and Porter Jr. wants to play. The contractual standoff remains in place, but this could be the first sign that both sides are ready to put that aside, at least for now.
Porter Jr. is in the final year of his rookie deal, and Pittsburgh still has control beyond that through the exclusive rights tag and the franchise tag. For the Steelers, the cleanest outcome is simple: get him back on the field and let the football do the talking.
If he plays at an elite level, the pressure to hand him a massive extension only grows after the season. If he struggles, that question gets answered too.
For now, the only thing that really matters is the next step. Porter Jr. is scheduled to do more, and the Steelers will be hoping that actually happens.
In Other News...
Steelers Fans Know How Rare This Patriots Memory Really Feels
The Steelers-Patriots rivalry has long carried a strange mix of familiarity and frustration for Pittsburgh fans, but the roots of it go back to a time when the balance felt very different. In 1997, the Steelers beat New England in overtime during the regular season, a game that stood out for the kind of hard-nosed, late-game swing that used to define this matchup before the Patriots took control in the Tom Brady era. Pittsburgh not only won that game but went on to capture the division and later saw New England again in the playoffs, giving that season an extra layer of significance.
For Steelers fans, that memory matters because it captures how rare those old advantages have become. What once felt like a competitive heavyweight series gradually shifted into something else entirely, and the 1997 win now reads like a snapshot from a different football age. It is the kind of reminder that makes longtime followers appreciate just how much the rivalry has changed, and why the moments when Pittsburgh had the upper hand still resonate so strongly. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Mourn The Loss Of An Early 1960s Standout
The Steelers are remembering one of their early defensive standouts after news broke that Jim Bradshaw died at 87, according to a social media post from his family. Bradshaw was part of Pittsburghs roster through the middle of the 1960s, appearing in 62 NFL games from 1963 to 1967 and making his mark as a safety after initially being converted from quarterback.
Bradshaws Steelers tenure ended after the 1967 season when he was traded to the Browns, though he never got the chance to suit up for Cleveland before being released. For a franchise that has long prized its defensive identity, his career serves as another reminder of the players who helped shape it during an earlier era. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers May Already Be Tracking A Receiver For A Bigger Need
The Steelers are already keeping an eye on the next wave of receivers, and Rutgers wideout KJ Duff appears to be on that radar early in the college season. Assistant general manager Andy Weidl was at Duffs games in consecutive weeks, a sign Pittsburgh is doing more than casual background work on a player who could become part of its plans down the road.
It makes sense as a long-view move even with Pittsburghs current receiver group under contract, because the Steelers have shown a willingness to monitor prospects well before draft decisions come into focus. If the roster shifts in the coming years, Duff could become a name that fits a bigger need rather than just another player on the scouting report. [Read more 🡒]