Steelers rule out Joey Porter Jr. for fourth straight game

Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sep 30, 2026

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — There was another twist in the Joey Porter Jr. contract saga Wednesday when the Pittsburgh Steelers ruled out their star cornerback for Thursday night’s game against the Cleveland Browns — once again with a back injury.

The Steelers held a practice Wednesday afternoon before they bussed to Cleveland. Porter was listed as a limited participant after being a full participant in Monday and Tuesday’s practices.

Practices are closed to the media the day before games, and there are no interviews with players or coaches. It appears Porter reported a back injury again after the team removed the injury designation for Monday and Tuesday’s injury reports.

The same thing happened in Week 2 before the Steelers played the New England Patriots. Porter reported a flare-up of his back injury that Thursday and was listed as questionable. Just as the Steelers did this week, the designation on the injury report was not injury-related. It was listed as “conditioning.”

The Steelers and Porter may be headed for a divorce after months of negotiations failed to lead to a new contract. The team has held firm on its longstanding policy of not negotiating contracts once the regular season begins.

Trading Porter is a possibility, but the Steelers could pursue other avenues if they do not believe the injury is legitimate. That would almost certainly lead to a drawn-out legal battle with Porter and the NFL Players’ Association.

Porter declined an interview request on Monday and was not in the locker room Tuesday when reporters were in there. Coach Mike McCarthy said that he hoped Porter would make his season debut against the Browns.

Porter is making $3.9 million in salary in the final year of his rookie contract.

The Steelers could have major issues at cornerback if Jalen Ramsey and Brandin Echols cannot play against the Browns. Both are listed as questionable.

Ramsey has a broken wrist and Echols was evaluated for a concussion following last week’s victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. Echols was removed from concussion protocol Wednesday, giving him a chance to play Thursday.

Running back Rico Dowdle will miss a second consecutive game with a toe injury. Dowdle was injured in the Week 2 loss in New England.

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