Joey Porter Jr. has moved out of the limited lane, but the real question for the Steelers still comes Wednesday.
Pittsburgh listed Porter as a full participant for a second straight day Tuesday, yet that doesn’t automatically mean he’s ready for a normal workload against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday. The Steelers repeated Monday’s walk-through, so those full participation tags are still estimates, not the same thing as Porter going through a real practice at speed.
That’s why Wednesday matters. Mike McCarthy said it will be the first time the Steelers get a look at Porter in a full-speed practice this week, and only then will they sort out how much he can handle. Porter has missed three games, and while the jump from limited to full is encouraging, a full Thursday workload still feels unlikely after two walk-throughs.
The rest of Pittsburgh’s cornerback picture didn’t really change. Jalen Ramsey and Brandin Echols remained limited, leaving the secondary a little thinner than the Steelers would like heading into Thursday Night Football. Ramsey is dealing with a wrist issue, while Echols is working through a concussion.
The official injury report has the same four names in the same spots it did Monday: Ramsey limited, Rico Dowdle out, Porter full, and Echols limited. Dowdle was again listed as a nonparticipant because of a toe injury. None of the four has a game designation yet.
There is at least another option if Porter isn’t ready for a bigger role right away. Rookie Daylen Everette saw more action against Cincinnati, and Still Curtain made the case for more snaps for him. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham already showed trust in Everette in a division game, which gives Pittsburgh a way to ease Porter back if he is active.
Everette’s expanded role also raised some questions about Asante Samuel Jr., but Graham pushed back on the idea that Samuel had been benched. He said Tuesday that Everette earned those chances in practice and wasn’t taking someone’s job because of poor play. With Ramsey and Echols still banged up, the Steelers may need both Samuel and Everette on Thursday.
If Ramsey and Echols can’t go, the cornerback depth could get stretched quickly. Jamel Dean and Samuel have been handling the outside work during Porter’s absence, while Ramsey gives Pittsburgh flexibility elsewhere in the secondary. Against Deshaun Watson, Porter and Everette could be asked to shoulder more if the injury situation doesn’t improve.
Dowdle’s second straight estimated absence also points toward Jaylen Warren leading the backfield again after his 127 rushing yards against Cincinnati. Wednesday’s final designations should give a clearer answer on whether Dowdle can join Warren and Travis Homer for the 8:15 p.m.
ET kickoff. For Porter, though, Wednesday’s practice speed will say more than either walk-through ever could.
In Other News...
Steelers Finally Moved On From Joey Porter Jr For A Reason
Joey Porter Jr. is officially on the move, and the Steelers turned the page by dealing the cornerback to the Cowboys for a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-rounder. For Pittsburgh, it was a striking end to a run that never really got back on track once Porter was sidelined in 2026, when a back injury and conditioning issues kept him out of game action all season.
Dallas is taking a measured approach with the former Steeler, and there is no immediate plan to extend his contract before seeing how he performs in a new setting. For Pittsburgh, the trade brings back future draft capital and closes the book on a player whose recent absence had become as much a part of the story as his talent. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Coach Just Added Fuel To Steelers' Latest AFC North Grudge Match
Todd Monken has been around the AFC North long enough to know how quickly a passing comment can sharpen a rivalry, and his latest one did exactly that. The Browns head coach, who has seen the Steelers from both Cleveland and Baltimore, took a shot at Pittsburghs veteran defensive core by suggesting it might be time for players like T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward to retire, a remark that lands with extra weight given how many bruising games those names have already created in this division.
For the Steelers, it is the kind of chatter that usually gets remembered long after the pregame noise fades. Watt and Heyward have been central figures in Pittsburghs identity for years, and Monkens familiarity with them only adds another layer to what is already set up as another hard-edged meeting between the Browns and Steelers, with the usual AFC North tension waiting for the first hit to bring it to the surface. [Read more 🡒]
LeVeon Bell Just Turned A Steelers Move Into A Bigger Debate
The Steelers decision to move on from Joey Porter Jr. has already sparked plenty of discussion, but the conversation widened quickly once LeVeon Bell weighed in on social media. Pittsburgh sent the cornerback to Dallas for future draft picks after a contract dispute and a back injury kept him from playing this season, a transaction that would have been debated on its own even before Bell added his criticism.
Bells comments pushed the story beyond football and into a much more familiar kind of scrutiny around the franchise. He alleged unequal treatment of black and white players, a charge that lands differently in light of the Steelers recent extensions for Cam Heyward, Jalen Ramsey and DK Metcalf, and it leaves the team facing a broader question about how this latest move is being interpreted around the league. [Read more 🡒]