Steelers receive encouraging update on Joey Porter Jr. - Steelers Wire

Fans of Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. may have a reason to celebrate, as head coach Mike McCarthy provided a positive update on the young defender's availability in 2026.

After Porter sat out Week 1, McCarthy revealed that the team will have a "good plan" for the promising cornerback during Wednesday's practice, and he'll hopefully do more than last week. But the best news is that McCarthy expects Porter to play once the ramp-up period is over, which effectively puts the contractual holdout noise to bed.

"Yeah, I would expect [Porter] to play," McCarthy told reporters.

Porter, one of the best lockdown man-coverage cornerbacks in the league, was inactive in Week 1, and it's his absence that possibly played a role in Pittsburgh's game plan. The Steelers didn't run a single man-coverage play on any of the Atlanta Falcons' dropbacks, playing exclusively in zone throughout Week 1.

Some assumed that Porter's absence had less to do with the back injury he picked up a few months ago and more to do with failed contract talks, but it appears fans will get to see the elite defender suit up for the Steelers very soon.

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