Steelers HC Mike McCarthy said it was his decision to hold Joey Porter Jr. out of Week 1’s game against the Falcons.

14 September 2026

McCarthy said he expects Porter to play , as he works to return from a back injury that sidelined him for much of training camp. It’s been widely speculated that Porter’s absence has more to do with his contract situation rather than an injury, but McCarthy is talking like a coach who is working to get an injured player back on the field. Porter did practice in a limited capacity all of last week, so we’ll see if he can get upgraded to a full participant sometime this week and have a chance to see the field in Week 2 against the Patriots.