The Pittsburgh Steelers listed Joey Porter Jr. as limited Wednesday because of conditioning, with no back injury on his Week 3 practice report. That’s encouraging ahead of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, especially after Porter and Michael Pittman Jr. both missed the Patriots game. Rico Dowdle and Jamel Dean, meanwhile, didn’t practice.
The Wednesday injury report lists Dowdle out of practice with a toe injury and Dean with an ankle injury. Pittman was limited by his foot injury, while Jaylen Warren was limited by a shoulder issue. Jalen Ramsey missed practice for rest, and Cole Holcomb was absent for personal reasons. Those last two designations don’t indicate injuries.
Player | Position | Injury | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Michael Pittman Jr. | WR | Foot | LP | ||
Joey Porter Jr. | CB | NIR/Conditioning | LP | ||
Jalen Ramsey | CB | NIR/Rest | DNP | ||
Rico Dowdle | RB | Toe | DNP | ||
Jaylen Warren | RB | Shoulder | LP | ||
Jamel Dean | CB | Ankle | DNP | ||
Cole Holcomb | LB | NIR/Personal | DNP |
Dowdle wore a boot on his left foot during the portion of practice open to reporters. PennLive’s Nick Farabaugh saw Pittman, Porter, and Troy Fautanu participating in that viewing window; Spencer Anderson went through drills with a wrap on his right lower leg. Fautanu and Anderson weren’t on Wednesday’s injury report. The brief media window can’t tell us how much work any of them handled afterward.
Pittsburgh Steelers need more than Wednesday’s progress from Joey Porter Jr.
Porter’s listing offers a possible route back against Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Dean and Asante Samuel Jr. handled the outside cornerback jobs while Porter sat out Week 2. If Dean’s ankle keeps him out, Porter’s return could prevent Pittsburgh from having to replace both of last week’s starters against Cincinnati’s top receivers.
There’s a reason to hold off on penciling Porter in. He was also limited for conditioning last Wednesday, then acquired a back designation later in the week and missed the game. His Wednesday participation is progress toward playing, not proof that he’ll be ready Sunday. If Dean misses another practice Thursday, Porter’s progress becomes even more important against Chase and Higgins.
Dowdle’s toe creates a separate problem because Warren is managing a shoulder injury. Pittsburgh’s initial 53-man roster carried those two as its running backs, plus rookie running back and receiver Eli Heidenreich. If Dowdle can’t go, Warren could take more of the work, but the Steelers would need a credible plan behind him before asking an already limited player to carry the backfield.
Pittman’s limited practice is a step forward after his foot injury kept him out against New England. Pittsburgh still needs to see him keep that up through Friday, when game designations arrive. By then, we'll also know whether Porter is close to returning and whether Dean and Dowdle are trending toward inactive.
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