The Pittsburgh Steelers have been bitten hard by the injury bug early in the season, and it's not about to get better in Week 4. Joey Porter Jr. went down with a hamstring injury late in Week 1 and hasn't seen the field each of the past two games. Meanwhile, Alex Highsmith has been nursing a hamstring injury, while safety DeShon Elliott has been out with an MCL sprain.
Thankfully, Elliott is set to return to the field today against the Minnesota Vikings. However, Jaylen Warren was a surprise inactive this week after showing up on the injury report with a knee injury.
Porter, meanwhile, practiced all week in limited fashion, and it looked like there was a shot he would make his return in Dublin, Ireland. Sadly, that won't be the case.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without CB Joey Porter Jr. today vs. the Minnesota Vikings
The Pittsburgh Steelers' official inactive list revealed that Joey Porter Jr. will not be playing today's game against the Vikings. Porter, a third-year player and second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, is still dealing with a hamstring injury.
Porter is Pittsburgh's starting left cornerback, and his addition to the field could have allowed CB Jalen Ramsey more flexibility to move around at slot cornerback and free safety. Considering the progress he was making with the injury, Porter should be back on the field after Pittsburgh's early Week 5 bye next week, assuming there are no more setbacks to the hamstring inury.
With how injury-plagued the Pittsburgh Steelers have been early in the 2025 season, it might be for the best for Mike Tomlin's team to get an early bye this year. Multiple starters are still absent from the lineup, and the bye could give them some added rest so as not to rush them back to the field too quickly.
The Steelers aim to improve to 3-1 on the season with a win over the Minnesota Vikings today. We'll see if they can get the job done again this week without Porter in the lineup.