When the Pittsburgh Steelers take the field for their Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, they may not have cornerback Joey Porter Jr. on the field.
Porter has been embroiled in a contract standoff with the team all offseason long. On top of that, he’s listed as questionable to play in Week 1 because of a back injury.
Here’s what we know about his chances of suiting up on Sunday.
Joey Porter Jr. injury update
Joey Porter Jr. is questionable to play with a back injury after turning in three limited sessions during the week.
Porter was on the PUP list for all of training camp with the back issue.
Is Joey Porter Jr. playing today?
Joey Porter Jr.’s status remains uncertain as of this writing.
When asked if he would play this week, Porter was non-committal.
“I think so,” Porter said when asked if he’s ready to play, according to Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live.
We’ll know for certain whether or not Porter will play when inactives are released an hour and a half before the 1 p.m. ET kickoff.
Joey Porter Jr. contract update
Joey Porter Jr. did not sound optimistic about a contract extension getting done before kickoff.
“I hope so, man, that’s all I can do is just hope,” he said, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
There was a rumor floating around that Porter wants to be the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, but he shot that down.
“I don’t know where that came from. Whoever made that, I really don’t pay too much hype into it,” Porter said.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported on Sept. 8 that the Steelers have made an offer to Porter, but the two sides “are not close.”
“The Steelers have made an offer to CB Joey Porter Jr., though sources indicate the sides are not close at this point. Still a lot of work to be done in the coming days to reach a deal,” Garafolo wrote.
At this point, it isn’t looking good for a contract extension or for Porter’s chances of suiting up.
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