After missing three games with a hamstring injury, Pittsburgh Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. is ready to get back on the field. Taking advantage of the team’s Week 5 bye, Porter confirmed Monday that he will play versus the Cleveland Browns.
“Yeah, definitely, I’m back.” Porter told reporters following practice as shared by 93.7 The Fan.Â
Per The Trib’s Joe Rutter, EDGE Alex Highsmith also said he expects to suit up Sunday at Acrisure Stradium.
Porter and Highsmith were seen practicing Monday during the team’s “bonus day” session. Limited all last week, Porter was ruled inactive for the Steelers’ Ireland game against the Minnesota Vikings. Porter suffered the injury midway through the Steelers’ Week 1 game against the New York Jets. While Mike Tomlin initially seemed to downplay the injury, hamstring pulls are tricky to recover from and often take multiple weeks.
Porter is in a crucial third year of his career. Attempting to ascend into true CB1 status, Porter’s goals for the season were to make more splash plays and reduce penalties. Instead, the first quarter of his season has been about returning to health. He’s logged just 44 defensive snaps this season, recording one tackle.
Porter’s return is good timing. Veteran CB Jalen Ramsey suffered a hamstring injury similar to Porter’s against the Vikings. Assuming the same timeline, Ramsey could miss up to a month of action without the benefit of a bye week in between.
Assuming Porter players and Ramsey sits, Pittsburgh’s top three cornerbacks Sunday against Cleveland will be Darius Slay, Brandin Echols, and Porter. Slay has still shown veteran savvy while Echols has been an underrated pickup, a versatile corner capable of playing inside or out.
Highsmith has been out since spraining his ankle early in Week 2. Monday was his first practice since the injury. His return will give Pittsburgh a deep group of outside linebackers of T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer, and Highsmith. The Steelers will have to determine a snap plan between Highsmith and Herbig. Herbig has been impactful during Highsmith’s absence.
Mike Tomlin will speak to the media Tuesday and offer an injury update on Porter, Highsmith, and the rest. Pittsburgh’s first injury report of the week will drop Wednesday with the final edition released Friday afternoon.
