Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) interacts with the crowd against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Steelers Could Lose Star CB Again

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers have released their latest injury report ahead of a Week 3 road contest against the New England Patriots.

There were few changes on the report from where it stood yesterday, which isn't a good sign for cornerback Joey Porter Jr.'s availability.

The 25-year-old did not participate in practice for a second-straight day with a hamstring injury and currently looks poised to miss another game after being inactive against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2.

Porter Jr. sustained his injury late in Pittsburgh's Week 1 win over the New York Jets and was a non-participant throughout practice last week as well.

Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Head coach Mike Tomlin deemed him "questionable" to play during his press conference earlier this week, and while he has yet to officially be ruled out vs. New England, he certainly isn't trending in the right direction at the moment.

If Porter Jr. is in fact sidelined for Week 3, Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay Jr. will likely continue to take every defense snap for the Steelers while Brandin Echols will rotate into the game alongside them.

Elsewhere on the report, first-round rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon (knee) was a limited participant for the second day in a row and looks to have a real shot to make his regular season debut at Gillette Stadium.

Inside linebacker Patrick Queen (oblique) downgraded from a full participant to limited, though it would appear that he's still in strong position to play against the Patriots.

Offensive lineman Max Scharping was listed as a non-participant after tearing his ACL in practice yesterday, meaning he'll miss the rest of the campaign.

Safety DeShon Elliott (knee) and outside linebacker Alex Highsmith (ankle) both didn't practice as well. The latter was already ruled out vs. New England by Tomlin, though he's likely to avoid a trip to the reserve/injured list after it once looked like he would require one, while the former's game status for Week 3 was considered "questionable" by Tomlin after sitting out against Seattle.

Wide receiver DK Metcalf was a non-participant while taking a veteran rest day as T.J. Watt returned to practice after taking a rest day himself.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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