New Joey Porter Jr. Injury Update, Timeline for Return Revealed amid Steelers Trade Rumors

With his contract situation looming, Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. could be in line to make his season debut in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday the Steelers are "planning" for him to "potentially return" against their AFC North rivals, although "whether or not Porter actually does return is a bit more ambiguous and is connected to the star cornerback's back injury and conditioning level."

A source told Schefter that Porter's back "flared up when he's tried to go full speed, and they haven't been able to get it where it needs to be."

This comes after Tom Pelissero of The Ringer reported the Steelers do not plan on breaking their "longstanding organizational policy by resuming contract negotiations in-season with Porter," which means "nobody should rule out the possibility Porter's next game is in another uniform."

What's more, Jonathan Jones of The Athletic reported the cornerback, who "wants a long-term contract," could be traded as a result with one league source saying, "a trade is not out of the question on this stuff."

Pittsburgh and Porter were unable to come to terms on a contract extension this offseason, meaning he is in the final year of his deal that is paying him $3.9 million in base salary in 2026.

Just this offseason, Devon Witherspoon and the Seattle Seahawks agreed to a four-year, $132 million extension that temporarily made him the highest-paid cornerback in the league before the New England Patriots and Christian Gonzalez topped that with a four-year, $135 million extension.

With so much high-profile movement at the cornerback position this offseason, Porter wanted to be next in line.

But the Steelers haven't budged, and now his back is a concern as well as he is set to miss Sunday's game against the Patriots after sitting out the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons as well.

Schefter added that "the two sides haven't gotten close to an agreement, which has brought the possibility of a trade into play." ESPN's Brooke Pryor and Jeremy Fowler previously reported some believed there was "a fracture in the relationship" between player and team.

Still, potential suitors will likely want to see him on the field sooner rather than later so they know he can play at a high level if they are going to give up draft-pick compensation or anything else in the move.

Perhaps that comes when the Steelers face the Bengals and he goes against Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the outside.

At his best, Porter is one of the best young cornerbacks in the league.

The 26-year-old tallied 14 passes defended last season and hasn't given up a touchdown in man-to-man coverage since he was a rookie during the 2023 season. His presence can transform a defense and make life easier for his teammates by shutting down a top option in the aerial attack, but the Steelers will have to wait at least a week to see that this season.