Jalen Ramsey denied Friday that he told Joey Porter Jr. to fake an injury, rejecting speculation that he helped push his former teammate out of Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Steelers traded Porter to the Cowboys last week, and Ramsey says he wanted the two of them playing together.
SteelerNation writer Brogan Noey suggested Ramsey might’ve supplied the back injury idea in a Sept. 3 column about Ramsey and Porter. He compared Porter’s situation to Ramsey’s 2019 Jacksonville exit, which also involved a reported back injury, but didn’t cite a source for the suggestion that Ramsey had proposed the tactic.
Ramsey didn’t name an accuser in his Oct. 9 post. Being Porter’s friend doesn’t establish that he told him to fake an injury. Pittsburgh has enough actual problems in the secondary to pick apart without treating an unsourced theory as a fact.
Jalen Ramsey wanted Joey Porter Jr. playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers
“Aye yall are crazy lol… the Joey narrative has to stop! I ain’t tell no damn body to not play lol that’s just flat out dumb! I still cheat when I play Madden! I want to be teammates with good players!” Ramsey wrote on X.
Ramsey had already publicly backed keeping Porter and urged the Steelers to pay him. He made his position clear well before this denial. That doesn’t establish what happened in private, but anyone claiming he wanted Porter sidelined still needs evidence.
“Why would I tell a guy who I think is a top 5 corner to fake an injury (which I don’t think he was doing anyways. The man was in the building tryna get right at 6 am & engaged in every meeting).”
Ramsey’s top-five ranking is his opinion. His account of Porter’s work offers a teammate’s perspective, but it doesn’t settle the medical question or require anyone to accept every part of Porter’s side.
Richard Sherman questioned Porter’s Thursday night absence after an illness kept him out of what would've been his second game with Dallas. On the Thursday Night Football pregame show, Sherman suggested Porter might’ve been healthier if the Cowboys had given him a new contract. He acknowledged he was speculating.
Porter had already made his Dallas debut against the Houston Texans four days earlier. TNF sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung reported that his condition worsened after he arrived at the stadium on Thursday. Sherman’s suspicion doesn’t establish that the illness was a negotiating tactic.
“Why would I not want a chance to suit up with him this year as a PITTSBURGH STEELER? Just doesn’t make sense. Don’t take me being in his corner the wrong way. His business is his business & I'm rocking wit him as my dawg… but I’m a Steeler & I want all good players to be apart [sic] of this team. I’m tryna win!”
Porter sat out Pittsburgh’s first three games before the trade, so the Steelers were already playing without him. His departure closed the door on getting him onto the field later in the season.
Ramsey’s coaching comments address a real Steelers preparation problem
Pittsburgh added Sean Murphy-Bunting on Monday and Terell Smith on Tuesday, giving the two new cornerbacks less than a week before Sunday’s game. Ramsey’s follow-up post addressed how newcomers can get up to speed with the people they’ll actually play beside.
Earlier Friday, Ramsey had described a disconnect between how the secondary wants to play together and an approach built around handing newcomers a playbook. That was criticism of preparation, and saying he respects the coaches doesn’t erase it. It also doesn’t establish a personal feud with Mike McCarthy’s staff. His posts don’t say how many reps the newcomers have taken with the starters.
“Then secondly, in regards to today’s media session, I rock wit the coaches. I have absolutely nothing but respect for them ALWAYS but the best way to getting acclimated with new teammates is being on the field with them. That’s simple.”
A new corner can know the coverage call and still hesitate when a receiver motions across the formation. Does he travel with him, or does the secondary pass the assignment to another defender? If two players make different decisions, somebody can be open before the pass rush has a chance.
“They have to hear the terminology we use ON THE FIELD. We have to see how they play different techniques within the system. That’s a simple concept to understand lol. I was asked how they were getting acclimated & answered honestly.”
A corner’s leverage, or positioning relative to a receiver, affects which routes he’s trying to take away. A safety playing behind him needs to know where the coverage is steering that receiver. Ramsey invoked former Steelers safeties Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu to explain that understanding.
“Go ask Ryan Clark if Troy played strictly by the playbook or if they worked with each other on the field within the playbook. Regardless, much love & let’s get back on track with a win on Sunday”
Ramsey’s comparison is about teammates understanding each other’s adjustments within the playbook. If a player changes how he handles a route, the teammate beside him needs to understand the adjustment. Otherwise, one player’s attempt to make a play can leave another covering the wrong space.
Jaylen Ramsey asked about the new additions to the Steelers secondary today:
— Ashley Wenskoski (@AshleyWenskTV) October 9, 2026
“The coaches have to put them out there with us so we can all get on the same page. There’s a little bit of a disconnect here right now, just with what we want to do on the field and how we play as a… pic.twitter.com/jJyYwZxip1
Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has said he prefers Ramsey’s current safety/star role despite the questions at outside corner. That role keeps Ramsey involved at safety and around the slot, where he can cover inside receivers and help against the run. Moving Ramsey outside would also require someone to handle the responsibilities he leaves behind. Getting the new corners ready gives Graham a better chance to preserve the role he wants for Ramsey.
Friday’s injury report rules Jamel Dean out with an ankle injury and DeShon Elliott out with a knee injury for Sunday’s visit from the Indianapolis Colts. Ramsey is questionable with a wrist injury. Pittsburgh, therefore, has to prepare new combinations while accounting for the possibility that the veteran asking for more time together won’t be available himself.
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