The Steelers may have a real trade partner if they decide Joey Porter Jr. is no longer part of the plan.
Detroit suddenly looks like a team with a cornerback problem after Week 2, and the latest hit came when Avonte Maddox was carted off in the first half against the Buffalo Bills with what the team announced as a foot injury. That wasn’t the moment the Lions’ defense began to wobble, but it certainly didn’t help. By the time the night was over, the secondary was the unit under the brightest spotlight, and not for the right reasons.
That kind of need can change the market fast, and Pittsburgh is sitting on a situation that keeps getting messier. Porter Jr. isn’t practicing fully, has been dealing with a back injury again and doesn’t appear likely to suit up for the Steelers unless he gets a new contract. The catch, of course, is that Pittsburgh isn’t going to hand out an in-season extension.
That leaves the Steelers in the middle of something that feels increasingly inevitable. At this point, the bigger question isn’t whether they want to move him as much as whether someone is willing to make the call.
If Detroit does, Pittsburgh would have to listen. And if the Lions put a first- or second-day draft pick on the table, a deal could come together quickly enough to help both teams before Week 3.
Omar Khan should be calling the Lions, because there doesn’t seem to be a clean resolution coming between the Steelers and Porter Jr. The fourth-year cornerback is likely to keep himself out of games one way or another as the season goes on.
Nobody is calling it a distraction yet, but it is getting close to that line. Pittsburgh would probably rather settle it or move on from it before it crosses over.
The Steelers would prefer the simpler version of this story - keep Porter Jr., extend him next offseason and make it all work. But that probably isn’t where this is headed.
Detroit has the need, the interest rumors are already out there and Pittsburgh’s situation with Porter Jr. keeps getting stranger. If the Lions are serious, this may be the moment for the Steelers to act.
In Other News...
Broderick Jones Update Reopens An Ugly Steelers Development Question
Broderick Jones move to Dallas has put his development right back under the microscope, and it is opening an uncomfortable conversation the Steelers know well. The former Pittsburgh first-rounder is competing for the Cowboys starting right tackle job, but offensive coordinator Klayton Adams said Jones has not yet met the teams physical standards, and both Adams and Brian Schottenheimer have said he needs retraining on some techniques as Dallas works to settle him in at one spot.
For Pittsburgh, the interest is obvious because Jones has already pointed to the position changes he went through with the Steelers as a hurdle in his growth. Dallas is trying to give him the kind of stability he did not always have in Pittsburgh, keeping him focused strictly at right tackle instead of bouncing him around. Whether that steady plan finally unlocks him is now one of the more intriguing subplots for a Steelers fan watching from afar. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers May Be Running Out Of Time With Joey Porter Jr
Joey Porter Jr. and the Steelers are opening the season with an uncomfortable contract standoff still hanging over one of the teams young defensive cornerstones. The situation has drifted past the usual background noise of extension talks, especially with Porter leaving a recent practice drill early because of a non-injury-related limitation, a detail that only adds to the sense that things are not exactly settled in Pittsburgh.
The longer the impasse lingers, the more it invites bigger questions about how the Steelers want to handle one of their most recognizable young defenders. Reports have already linked Pittsburgh to the possibility of exploring a trade, and the Detroit Lions are said to have interest, which gives the situation a layer of urgency as the season gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Suddenly Have A Joey Porter Jr. Problem Before Patriots Game
Joey Porter Jr.s week took an unwelcome turn for Pittsburgh, with the second-year cornerback limited in practice because of a back injury and trending toward missing the Patriots game. The Steelers have spent much of the season leaning on Porter on the outside, so any availability question around him matters, especially with New England coming in as the next test on the schedule.
There was a little better news elsewhere on the injury report, with Darnell Washington back on the field and likely to play, and left tackle Troy Fautanu also practicing and potentially available. Mike McCarthy also addressed Porters situation and contract status, noting the cornerback is still practicing without a new extension in place, which only adds another layer to a situation Pittsburgh would prefer to keep simple heading into game week. [Read more 🡒]