Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) celebrates a missed field goal against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Steelers Lose Starting CB Against Vikings

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 8:10 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers ' defense is slowly but surely return to full health, though Joey Porter Jr. has yet to make any meaningful progress from a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 1 against the New York Jets.

The third-year cornerback wasn't seen warming up at Croke Park ahead of Pittsburgh's Week 4 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland, and he's officially been ruled out.

Porter Jr. went down with a hamstring injury late in the season opener vs. New York. He didn't practice leading up to the Steelers' Week 2 and 3 games against the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, respectively, though he was listed as a limited participant on each of the team's injury reports this week.

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Even so, the 25-year-old will not suit up vs. Minnesota after being listed as questionable on the final report of the week.

Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay will continue to start at cornerback for the Steelers, much as they have all season, while Brandin Echols will factor into the equation heavily once again after a standout performance against the Patriots.

The only other healthy corner on the Steelers' 53-man roster is James Pierre, who has logged just nine defensive snaps all year thus far.

With Pittsburgh set to go on bye next week, the hope is certainly that Porter Jr. will come back healthier and be ready to go for a Week 6 bout with the Cleveland Browns.

The Steelers' wide-ranging injuries on the defensive side of the ball have undoubtedly impacted the unit's performance, evidenced by the fact that they've allowed the fifth-most yards per game thus far at 386.0, but there's an opportunity to turn things around in the near future.

They'll face a backup quarterback in Carson Wentz for the Vikings while J.J. McCarthy remains out with an ankle sprain, and their first game out of the bye is against a Cleveland team that's struggled to put up points during the opening weeks of the season.

If Porter Jr. can return in the near future too, that'll only help Pittsburgh's defense play at a high level moving forward as well.

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

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