Steelers, Joey Porter Jr. Situation Gets Weirder

PITTSBURGH -- It just feels like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Joey Porter Jr. are getting further apart.

Every time there feels like a point in the saga when the two sides should be getting closer to some sort of resolution - a place where the drama will end, regardless of how upset one side or the other is - it takes a new turn for the worse.

The latest one may be the strangest, and the most concerning.

Before the Steelers took the practice field for the first time in preparation for Week 2 against the New England Patriots, head coach Mike McCarthy said that Porter Jr. would take a step forward in his ramp-up period.

"The plan is to move forward with Joey and see how much more he can do today,” McCarthy said.

Everyone took that as progress. Porter Jr. was going to be closer to a full participant, maybe even having a full practice day for the first time since the 2025 season.

He didn't. Instead, he was listed as limited with the designation of "non-injury relates/conditioning."

What?

During the very short viewing period open to media, Joey Porter Jr. did not hit the sled. He did several other drills in individual periods. pic.twitter.com/i3ROzLgLGT
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) September 16, 2026

First off, in seven years of covering the NFL, I've never once seen a designation be labeled as "conditioning." For a professional athlete to not practice all summer, then enter a two-week-long ramp-up period and still not be ready to return to the field because of their conditioning is more concerning than missing practice for just an injury. Because essentially, it just means Porter Jr. is not in shape to play football, which may be true, but it sure is hard to believe.

What's Really Happening

It feels more like this is the final stage before things really hit the wall between the Steelers and Porter Jr. The team has removed the idea that a back injury is keeping him out and has now stated that he's not in shape to play, when in reality, it seems more likely that this is because Porter Jr. has not committed to playing yet.

This seems to be coming to an end one way or another. If Porter Jr. isn't going to play for the Steelers, it's about time to trade him. Whether the team gets the compensation they'd hope for or not, the situation is becoming a distraction and is only getting stranger, not better.

If no trade is happening, it's impossible to know if Porter Jr. is ever going to play this season. Every time the Steelers make it seem like he is, the plot thickens. At this point, there's no reason to read into the words of McCarthy or anyone else. It's simply see what happens and analyze as you watch.

This saga is one of the weirdest in years. The Steelers haven't experienced anything like this since Le'Veon Bell. And truthfully, they might be in the midst of another Bell situation; it just hasn't been declared a holdout yet.

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