The Steelers’ standoff with Joey Porter Jr. is still hanging over the team as they get ready for Week 2 against the New England Patriots, and there’s no clean end in sight yet.
Pittsburgh and the star cornerback have not been able to work out a new contract, even as the team has already received calls about a possible trade. For now, the Steelers appear determined to keep him, and there’s no sign they’re ready to let this drag into the season.
That said, this isn’t shaping up like the kind of situation that blows up a locker room. The Steelers have veteran leadership in place, and the expectation is that Porter Jr.’s holdout won’t turn into a major distraction. Still, the reality is simple: he makes the team better, and that matters.
The PUP designation adds another layer to the whole thing. Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy says Porter Jr. is working his way back from an injury and is in the “ramp-up” period.
That leaves the door open to questions about how much of this is injury-related and how much is tied to the contract dispute. On Wednesday, though, that’s the information available.
Elsewhere, Aaron Rodgers gave the game ball to Mike McCarthy after the former Packers helped win their first game in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are also dealing with questions along the offensive line, where a shakeup could be coming with two changes being considered. On defense, Derrick Harmon already has concerns after Week 1, and there’s also talk of a made-up trade idea that would send Mason Rudolph to a new home.
Around the league, six teams are already under pressure in Week 2, the Bears’ Monangai is being labeled a secret superstar after Sunday’s offense-heavy showing, and the Texans’ Montgomery is getting attention as an AFC secret superstar in Houston.
In Other News...
Steelers New Look Still Leaves One Big Problem To Solve
The Steelers came out of their latest game looking different on both sides of the ball, and not just in the usual early-season, we-need-to-see-more way. Aaron Rodgers was more willing to test defenses downfield, while the front seven kept rotating T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith in ways that suggested a more flexible pass-rush approach than in years past. Pittsburgh also mixed in plenty of two-tight-end looks, and the snap counts for Germie Bernard and Roman Wilson offered another small reminder that this offense is still sorting out who fits where.
Even with the changes, the game still kept circling back to the same old frustration: missed chances. Drops and inaccurate throws broke up drives that had enough going for them to matter, which is why the new look feels promising without yet feeling complete. The Steelers have shown they can create different answers schematically, but until the passing game cleans up the finishing work, the biggest question on the roster is still waiting for a real solution. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Fans Suddenly Have Real Reason To Worry About Joey Porter Jr
For a Steelers team that has tried to build its identity around young, physical defense, Joey Porter Jr. suddenly finding his name in trade chatter is the kind of development that lands hard. NFL Networks Ian Rapoport pointed to the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions as possible destinations for the cornerback, with Pittsburgh still working through a contract dispute that has added another layer of uncertainty around one of its most important young defenders.
The Lions have reportedly shown interest, while the Chiefs are searching for help at cornerback after injuries and trades thinned that room. Any move would still have to clear a complicated path, though, with Porters contract demands and Kansas Citys salary cap situation making a deal far from simple. For now, it is less about where Porter might go than the fact that the Steelers have reached the point where such a conversation is even happening. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Week 1 Usage Raised Some Early Lineup Questions
Week 1 gave the Steelers an early look at how this defense and offense may be leaning under their current personnel mix, and the snap counts were hard to miss. T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward were on the field less than fans have grown used to seeing, while Jalen Ramsey and Payton Wilson barely came off it. On offense, rookie Germie Bernard had a limited role, but Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington were both featured heavily as Pittsburgh worked through its first game plan of the season.
The usage patterns do not settle many questions so much as they open them up. Reduced workloads for Watt and Heyward can be explained plenty of ways in a season opener, but they still stand out when paired with the near every-snap roles for Ramsey and Wilson and the tight end-heavy approach on offense. For a team trying to sort out its weekly identity early, the first-round of snap counts offered a clearer view of who the Steelers trust right away and a few more spots where the rotation still feels unsettled. [Read more 🡒]