Steelers Clear Joey Porter Jr., Forcing Him to Make Week 3 Decision

The Pittsburgh Steelers are putting the onus on Joey Porter Jr. when it comes to playing in Week 3, and perhaps beyond as a result.

Prior to the Steelers' Week 2 matchup against the New England Patriots, which Porter Jr. is inactive for, CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson noted that someone within the organization told her that the 26-year-old has been cleared of his back injury and will be, "in good enough football shape," to play next week against the Cincinnati Bengals, though the decision to suit up is ultimately in his hands.

"Joey Porter Jr. inactive for the second straight week," Wolfson wrote. "I spoke to someone inside the Steelers org who said he has been cleared of the back injury and is expected to be in good enough football shape to return next wk. whether he does is up to him. The source told me they have nothing but respect for Porter and his family but it is still a long-standing tradition that the organization does not negotiate during the season. One other thing to note the Steelers are not actively shopping him and have not received any calls regarding him either."

Joey Porter Jr. inactive for the second straight week. I spoke to someone inside the Steelers org who said he has been cleared of the back injury and is expected to be in good enough football shape to return next wk. whether he does is up to him. The source told me they have…
— Tracy Wolfson (@tracywolfson) September 20, 2026

Steelers Expecting Porter Jr. to Play

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Pittsburgh is "planning" on Porter Jr. playing vs. Cincinnati, though his availability for the game is "connected" to his back injury as well as his conditioning level.

Schefter added that Porter Jr. has considered getting a second opinion on his back in part because it has, "flared up when he's tried to go full speed."

Porter Jr. has been listed as a limited practice participant on all six of the Steelers' injury reports so far this season, with both conditioning and his back injury having been listed on the report in the lead-up to the Patriots game.

If he has been cleared of his back injury like Wolfson stated, though, than it would be fair for the Steelers to expect Porter Jr. to be active against the Bengals assuming his conditioning gets to where it needs to be as well.

It may not be that simple, however, because of his contract situation.

Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) reacts after a play during the second half of an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Business Component Still Looms Large

At this point, it feels like the Steelers need Porter Jr. to go hard or go home.

With it seeming as though he's progressing past his back injury, which could potentially be dependent on whether or not Porter Jr. receives a second opinion, Pittsburgh needs its No. 1 cornerback to commit to the team.

The two sides aren't going to reach an agreement on a new deal given the Steelers' hard stance against negotiating in-season.

Porter Jr. surely wants a new deal, but he'll have to wait until next offseason for such an opportunity to come back around, at least in Pittsburgh.

There's also nothing percolating on the trade front as of now, and momentum may never pick up on that end.

The Steelers appear to believe that Porter Jr. is going to suit up for them in the immediate future, with Week 3 now being circled as the new target date, though there's still plenty left to sort out and a handful of decisions left to be made before he hits the field again.

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