A fresh development has emerged surrounding Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. ahead of their Week 2 matchup against the New England Patriots.
Porter was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday, matching the designation he received on all three injury reports last week. However, the reason attached to his status changed. Rather than being listed with a back injury, Porter was classified as NIR/conditioning, meaning his limitation was considered non-injury related.
The change came after Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said before Wednesday's practice that the plan was for Porter to increase his workload compared with the previous week. Porter did more during the session, but he still did not take part in everything.
Porter did not play in Pittsburgh's Week 1 opener against the Atlanta Falcons after being inactive for the game. His back had kept him out through training camp and the preseason, and McCarthy said Monday that making Porter inactive against Atlanta was his decision. McCarthy also indicated that the goal was to have Porter fully prepared when he returned to the field.
The Steelers began preparations Wednesday for Sunday's game at Gillette Stadium. Porter was not the only Pittsburgh player listed on the report. Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was limited because of a foot issue, while left tackle Troy Fautanu did not practice because of an ankle injury. Tight end Darnell Washington also missed the session for personal reasons.
For New England, wide receiver A.J. Brown will be unavailable this week after being placed on the Reserve/Injured List following a high ankle sprain suffered in the Patriots' season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. After Brown exited that game, Mack Hollins stepped up at receiver.
With Porter moving from a back-injury designation to NIR/conditioning while remaining limited, the Steelers will continue monitoring his workload throughout the week.