This Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers will face a very difficult task. This is a tall task to ask as they’ll be facing the Seattle Seahawks again without three of their key defensive starters, including rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. After some shuffling, the team has now formally announced that Porter Jr. will not play. He’s currently managing some hamstring tightness that he suffered in last week’s contest against the New York Jets. There was enough optimism from Coach Mike Tomlin that Porter Jr. would be available. The writing was on the wall that he wasn’t playing when he missed practice all week.
Porter Jr. now seems set to join fellow defensive players Elandon Elliott and Justin Harmon on the sidelines. Elliott suffered a knee injury during his matchup with the Jets. At the same time, Harmon is still recovering from an MCL sprain he incurred in the last preseason game versus the Carolina Panthers. The Steelers are going to need Brandin Echols and James Pierre, two relatively recent free-agent acquisitions, to hold down the fort left by these massive injuries. They will all need to raise their game in Porter Jr.’s absence.
Beyond those injury issues, the Steelers add Nick Herbig back to the active roster. Herbig missed the season opener due to a hamstring injury. Well, this weekend, he’s finally there! Herbig’s return would be huge for the Steelers. Those are big additions as they look to shore up their defensive front seven against that mighty Seahawks defense.
In addition to acquiring Peterson, as part of their preparations for the 2023 season, the Steelers have acquired cornerbacks Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey. That’s because Ramsey has mostly played in the slot. He can provide versatility to help fill the gaps of the injuries on the defensive side of the ball. His experience and skill set should be a welcome addition as the Steelers head to Seattle.
This should be even more concerning for accountability and respect in the locker room, as veteran Cam Heyward mentioned. He even touched on the impact quarterback Aaron Rodgers allegedly has on the Steelers locker room. He added that Rodgers being around will help to generate a culture, creating a sense of accountability among players.
Three other key starters are out—Porter Jr., Elliott and Harmon. Next up, a brutal stretch of games for Pittsburgh begins with the Seahawks coming to town. The team will need to lean on its overall depth and adaptability more than ever to make it through this tough part of the season.
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