The Pittsburgh Steelers lost a close game to the Buffalo Bills in their preseason finale. However, the final results matter less than some other business items the Steelers need to handle. That includes figuring out what to do with Joey Porter Jr., who has been on the PUP list since training camp started. If he isn’t taken off by the time the rosters are cut down in a few days, he’ll have to miss Pittsburgh’s first four regular-season games. Mike McCarthy doesn’t sound worried about Porter’s playing shape, though.
“I know he had an excellent workout today,” McCarthy said Thursday after the game. “He was back part of that group today. I don’t have anything other than that to update you with.”
Porter didn’t travel with the team to Buffalo, so McCarthy is likely working off information his staff told him. Still, this is a good update on Porter’s status
Porter’s injury designation seems to have mostly been a cover for his contract dispute with the team. Porter is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and he wants a contract extension. However, McCarthy also recently said that the two sides are at an impasse
Other reports haven’t indicated that Porter and the Steelers are close to agreeing on terms, either. Pittsburgh doesn’t negotiate contracts during the season, so Week 1 is the deadline to get something done with Porter. It’s currently up in the air if he’ll get the payday that he’s seeking
However, if Porter suits up, with or without a deal, it doesn’t sound like he’ll need much time to get up to speed. Porter hasn’t worked much this offseason, so there could be some concern about his physical conditioning. McCarthy seems satisfied with him, though
Perhaps that excellent workout is a sign that Porter doesn’t plan to skip regular-season games in pursuit of a contract extension. He hasn’t hinted at whether he’s going to do that yet. It’s also still possible that the Steelers won’t remove him from the PUP list until they trim their roster to 53 players
If they don’t activate him, though, it doesn’t sound like his health will be the reason. Porter and the Steelers are currently in a standoff. However, they need each other. It would benefit them both to figure something out. Hopefully, Porter’s workout is a sign that things haven’t totally broken down between the two sides
