Steelers Make Final Joey Porter Jr. Decision for Bengals Game

The Pittsburgh Steelers' No. 1 cornerback will remain out for another week.

Joey Porter Jr. was ruled inactive for the Steelers' Week 3 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals alongside Rico Dowdle (toe), Kevin Jobity Jr., Gabe Rubio, Eli Heidenreich, Drew Allar and Will Howard (emergency No. 3 QB).

Pittsburgh sure could use Porter Jr. vs. Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but the situation will instead continue drag out instead of reaching any sort of resolution three games into the year.

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

Porter Jr.'s Recent Comments

After spending all of training camp on the PUP list with a back injury, Porter Jr. still appears to be trailing behind in terms of where he is in the ramp-up process and getting back up to speed after all of the time that he missed.

His contract situation is a major culprit too, though, and after he failed to reach an agreement on an extension with the Steelers before Week 1, talks have been halted for the time being given the organization's standard of not negotiating in-season.

Porter Jr., after having his back flare up in practice ahead of the team's Week 2 bout with the New England Patriots, did seem as though he was in line to make some progress heading into this week's matchup against the Bengals.

The 26-year-old, despite his back injury being removed from the injury report, was listed as a limited participant with an "NIR/conditioning" tag on all three iterations of the report this week.

Porter Jr. did respond with, 'Yeah, definitely," when asked if he'd suit up once he was healthy while speaking with reporters this week, but he also admitted that he wasn't sure if he'd be in the right spot from a conditioning perspective to play vs. Cincinnati.

"I don't know," he said on September 24. "We still got two more days to practice, so I mean we could figure that out sooner in the week. I just know I did everything today and it went smooth, so we're going to just keep working."

In the end, Porter Jr. will once again be sidelined for the Steelers in a big early-season showdown with their AFC North rivals.

Possibility of a Trade

At some point, this entire situation has to come to a head for both Pittsburgh and Porter Jr.

The Steelers would surely prefer for him to play, though if there's no movement in that direction, and soon, the chances of a trade would likely rise.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that multiple teams, including the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions, have inquired on Porter Jr.'s availability and that Pittsburgh, "would be willing to listen to trade offers."

Whether or not there's any real traction on that front remains to be seen, but it does feel like at least a possibility that Porter Jr. could be sent elsewhere down the line this season.

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