Steelers CB Suffers Head Injury

Porter Jr. Suffers Head Injury

On a 3rd-and-15 from the Steelers' 29-yard line, Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel targeted wide receiver Gage Larvadain over the middle. Safety DeShon Elliott came across and delivered a huge hit to the upper part of Larvadain's body, resulting in an incomplete pass as well as an unnecessary roughness call on the former.

Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was trailing in coverage on the play, however, and he took a hit as well after initially getting up once the play was finished. He remained down on the field for a short period of time and was checked out by Steelers medical personnel.

Porter Jr. returned a few plays later but then went down again after almost picking off Gabriel in the red zone.

He later went to the medical tent, and the Steelers announced that he was being evaluated for a head injury. Head coach Mike Tomlin did not provide an update on Porter Jr. during his postgame press conference.

Porter Jr.'s Hamstring Injury

The third-year cornerback made his return against the Browns after missing each of Pittsburgh's last three games with a hamstring injury he suffered against the New York Jets in Week 1.

Porter Jr. had a small chance to return before the Steelers' Week 5 bye when the team faced the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland during Week 4, but he ultimately sat out of that contest after being upgraded to a limited participant in practice before that matchup.

State of Secondary

Alongside Porter Jr., fellow corner Darius Slay Jr. also departed Pittsburgh's bout with the Browns due to an apparent shoulder injury after attempting to tackle tight end Harold Fannin Jr.

Brandin Echols also briefly appeared to be injured, though he returned to the game after missing just a handful of plays, and Jalen Ramsey also departed with an ailment in the first half before making his way back onto the field in short order.

Ramsey was seen as a long shot to suit up against Cleveland earlier in the week due to a hamstring injury he sustained against the Vikings, but he was listed as a full practice participant on the final injury report of the week and thus was cleared to play.

Nonetheless, the Steelers' secondary has been ravaged by injuries all year long, and Porter Jr.'s status for Week 7 remains to be seen.