Steelers Depth Chart Doesn't Look Good for Joey Porter Jr.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' depth chart heading into their Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons included an interesting development at cornerback.

Opposite Jamel Dean, the Steelers listed Joey Porter Jr. OR Asante Samuel Jr. as their other starter on the outside at cornerback.

The Steelers Week 1 depth chart is here.

Dylan Cook listed as starting RT.
Spencer Anderson at RG.

Joey Porter Jr. OR Asante Samuel Jr. at corner

Roman Wilson at WR3.

One safety: Jaquan Brisker, followed by Rayshawn Jenkins.

Three OLB on “first team” pic.twitter.com/lknUWf7rqd
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) September 8, 2026

Porter Jr.'s contract stalemate is perhaps the biggest storyline revolving around Pittsburgh at the moment, though perhaps Christian Gonzalez's agreement with the New England Patriots could help accelerate things on that front.

Still, without any sort of meaningful updates or progress in talks, at least from the outside looking in, the Steelers' decision to list Samuel Jr. as a potential starter at the same spot as Porter Jr. certainly feels a bit noteworthy.

What is Pittsburgh's Reasoning?

Since being activated off the PUP list at the roster cutdown deadline after spending all of training camp with that designation due to a back injury, Porter Jr. has participated to some extent in practice.

Head coach Mike McCarthy has stated that he's still in a ramp-up period, though, which makes sense considering how much time he missed with his injury as Pittsburgh implements a new defensive system under Patrick Graham.

Samuel Jr., on the other hand, was one of the stars of camp for the Steelers and made his mark at times in the preseason as well.

The team should be pretty confident in Samuel Jr.'s ability to hold up as a starter if need be based on his strong performance this summer. It also helps that he has made 50 starts throughout his career and proved that he was healthy down the stretch for the Steelers last season while coming off of spinal fusion surgery.

It does seem as though listing Porter Jr. and Samuel Jr. together is a product of the former's health and where he stands in his progression as a result, but his contract situation can't be ignored within that discussion either.

Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) interacts with the crowd against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Is the Depth Chart a Hint at Where Contract Talks Stand?

For as impressive as Samuel Jr. has been over the past couple of months, Porter Jr. is still the Steelers' unquestioned No. 1 cornerback and would normally never be lumped in with the former.

As previously mentioned, his back injury and where he stands in his ramp-up process is surely the leading factor in not outright declaring him as a starter on the depth chart.

Given Porter Jr.'s evasive answers last week regarding whether or not he plays against the Falcons without a new contract, however, perhaps Pittsburgh is hedging its bets by keeping the door open for Samuel Jr. to start instead.

There's still a couple of days left for the two sides to close the gap and lock in a long-term contract for Porter Jr., and because the Steelers aren't going to negotiate in-season, the artificial deadline of sorts that Week 1 is now standing as could help things move along.

Pittsburgh likely isn't dropping any massive hints on the status of talks in its depth chart, though it is indicative of some of the question marks surrounding Porter Jr.'s plans if he doesn't get an extension that's to his liking.

Still, it feels more likely than not that Porter Jr. will opt not to hold out once the regular season begins should he not sign a new deal.

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