Joey Porter Jr. reaggravates back injury

ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported earlier today that the Steelers and Porter are at an impasse over the guaranteed money the Steelers are offering as the two sides attempt to agree on an extension. The Steelers typically do not guarantee any money beyond the deal’s first year. Porter, obviously, takes issue with that policy. He also seemingly has a back injury. According to Pryor, Porter’s relationship with the team may be damaged beyond repair.

According to Pryor, the Steelers’ relationship with Porter “may be fractured beyond repair.” The fourth-year corner has been seeking a contract extension all offseason and missed Week 1 with a back injury that some believe could improve with a new deal. Porter logged a full practice on Wednesday only to reaggravate it on Thursday, putting his Week 2 availability in doubt. According to Pryor, one major holdup in a deal between Porter and the Steelers is the lack of guaranteed money the Steelers are willing to give him. The Steelers typically don’t give out guaranteed money beyond the first year of a deal, but made an exception for T.J. Watt on his extension. Porter reportedly hoped for a similar exception, but so far, that hasn’t happened. This situation remains far from resolved. With Friday’s practice still to go, we’ll see if Porter is ruled in/out before the weekend or if his status will be one to look out for closer to game day.

Porter Jr. missed all of training camp with a back injury and then sat out of Week 1 after getting in three limited practices. The team removed his back injury from their report this week, only listing him as limited for conditioning reasons and rest on Wednesday. Mike McCarthy told reporters the plan was for him to do more today. That clearly isn’t happening. It’s unclear if the back issue flared up again or if this is something new. Either way, Porter Jr. appears to be on the wrong side of questionable for Week 2.

Porter’s strange situation continues. The Steelers’ No. 1 cornerback spent August on the active/physically unable to perform list with a back injury. He also spent August pursuing a lucrative contract extension. Porter did not play in Week 1. Steelers coach Mike McCarthy said he increased his workload today, but he is still not guaranteed to play in Week 2.

Speaking to media Monday, Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said cornerback Joey Porter Jr. would not play until he completes his “ramp-up period,” which effectively leaves a potential return open-ended. As we understand it, Porter Jr. has yet to participate in a full practice, but is “communicating with the trainer every day.” McCarthy added, “We’ll get him out there when he’s ready to go through a full practice.” Porter Jr. missed the entirety of the offseason program with a back injury but is also seeking a new contract, with the potential that the discussions surrounding dollars has influence on the current situation. More to come in this developing saga.

McCarthy said he expects Porter to play once his ramp-up period ends, as he works to return from a back injury that sidelined him for much of training camp. It’s been widely speculated that Porter’s absence has more to do with his contract situation rather than an injury, but McCarthy is talking like a coach who is working to get an injured player back on the field. Porter did practice in a limited capacity all of last week, so we’ll see if he can get upgraded to a full participant sometime this week and have a chance to see the field in Week 2 against the Patriots.

It was trending this way after Porter Jr. missed all of training camp with a back injury; however, the Steelers had held out hope that the 26-year-old would be able to return to the field for Week 1. Unfortunately, it sounds like the issue preventing him from being on the field may be more about a new contract than his back. The Steelers will likely turn to Asante Samuel Jr. to take Porter Jr.'s role, and it might matter more if the Falcons weren’t starting Cooper Rush at quarterback. The Steelers’ other inactives are QB Drew Allar, QB Will Howard, OG Gennings Dunker, DL Kevin Jobity Jr., and DL Gabriel Rubio.

Porter Jr. missed all of training camp with the back issue, but, as Schefter notes, he has also been engaged in unsuccessful contract talks with the Steelers all offseason. Schefter immediately added, “The possibility of a trade remains in play.” It sounds like his Week 1 absence is almost entirely based on the lack of a new contract, meaning he could continue to miss games until that changes.

Porter remained limited all week. He also lacks a lucrative contract extension. Hopefully, both issues are remedied before kickoff. The Steelers’ D/ST could have a fruitful outing against a Falcons offense run by backup QB Cooper Rush.

Porter is still on track to play in Week 1 against the Falcons. Whether his limitations are truly injury-related or contract-related is anyone’s guess. The team will tell us his status tomorrow.