Any hopes that cornerback Joey Porter Jr. would be in the Steelers’ lineup for Sunday’s game against the Patriots came to an end on Friday afternoon.
Porter has been ruled out for the second straight week. Head coach Mike McCarthy said on Thursday that the team expected Porter to do more work in practice, but he wound up leaving the session early and was limited again on Friday.
Porter is listed with both a back injury and conditioning as reasons why he won’t play. He did not practice at all during training camp because he was on the physically unable to perform list and his ongoing contract impasse with the team has led to reports that he could be traded at some point during the season.
Wide receiver Michael Pittman (foot) missed his second straight practice, but the door is open for him to play after getting a questionable tag on the final report. Left tackle Troy Fautanu (ankle) was a limited participant and joins Pittman in the questionable category.
