When Jalen Ramsey appeared to exaggerate an injury in order to force a trade out of Jacksonville in 2019, the Jaguars moved on after three missed games. Ramsey was on the Jags’ injury report with a back issue in October 2019, but he played in the first Rams game for he was eligible to following a blockbuster trade.
Fast-forward seven years, and a similar situation may be unfolding — this one involving one of Ramsey’s teammates. Joey Porter Jr. will miss a fourth game to start the season. The Steelers ruled out their ascending cornerback with a back injury. Unlike Ramsey, Porter has not requested a trade. But frustration formed after the sides did not reach agreement on an extension — unlike the other key players from the Steelers’ 2023 draft — by the organization’s long-held Week 1 negotiating deadline.
Making this week’s situation more interesting is Porter’s practice report. The former second-round pick logged two full practices ahead of Pittsburgh’s Cleveland matchup Thursday — his first such designations since being activated off the team’s active/PUP list late last month — before being listed as limited today. Mike McCarthy had expressed hope earlier this week Porter would play, and while the team’s workouts this week were walkthroughs, Porter being listed as a full participant is certainly notable. Players that log multiple FPs in a week almost never sit. With a mini-bye coming up, this situation could come to a head.
By activating Porter from the active/PUP list just before the roster-setting deadline, the Steelers had aimed to avoid a four-game mandatory absence the reserve/PUP list would have brought. But Porter will still end up missing at least four games. The Steelers famously do not negotiate in-season, keeping the door open to a trade that would allow the second-generation NFL defender to land a 2026 extension from a team that does.
In confirming he had not requested a trade, Porter said he intended to play this season. If the CB’s back issue truly flared up this week — an issue Porter described recently — that would pause this situation. But an organization that for so long held true to Mike Tomlin’s famous “volunteers, not hostages” mantra does appear engaged in a standoff of sorts.
The Cowboys and Lions are among the teams to inquire about Porter, and the Giants were mentioned as a possible suitor Tuesday. The Steelers were not believed to have extended an offer to Porter until late August, while Keeanu Benton, Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington had signed extensions much earlier. The deal Pittsburgh proposed was believed to be worth more than $27MM per year. That would place Porter in the top six in terms of cornerback AAV, but contract structure — involving a franchise that joins the Bengals and Packers in almost always avoiding post-Year 1 guarantees — was an issue.
Porter is tied to a $3.92MM base salary in his contract year. While that is a career-high figure, it pales in comparison to the money he would have banked already via upfront guarantees on an extension. Unlike the Steelers’ 2018 Le’Veon Bell impasse, Porter is being paid during his hiatus due to being on the 53-man roster. But a Ramsey-like October exit will need to be monitored here at this point.
Speaking of Ramsey, the 11th-year veteran is listed as questionable for Week 4 with a wrist issue. Ramsey said earlier this week (via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor) he is dealing with a broken wrist. Ramsey, 31, was listed as a limited participant in each Pittsburgh practice this week. The former All-Pro said he will attempt to play through the injury.
