PITTSBURGH — While the Pittsburgh Steelers still wonder and wait on cornerback Joey Porter Jr., they finally had one of the key members of their secondary return to practice for the first time since the start of training camp.

Jalen Ramsey, who has been on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list after injuring his knee in minicamp, returned to practice Monday. That’s a good sign for a secondary that has been without the three-time All-Pro defensive back and Porter since the start of training camp.

Ramsey said a better sign will come when the Steelers and Porter agree on a new contract — a stalemate that continues to drag on with no significant movement in sight.

“I’m overly in Joey’s corner,” Ramsey said. “Joey needs to be compensated for being a valuable part of this secondary and a valuable part of this defense and team.”

Porter remains on the PUP list after he injured his back during conditioning drills on the first day of training camp. However, coach Mike McCarthy indicated Porter’s continued absence could be related to the same issues that caused the fourth-year cornerback from Penn State to stage a hold-in during OTAs and minicamp.

“We’re at an impasse right now, and you’ve got to respect that,” McCarthy said before practice. “Every one of us has a contract. The organization, they have beliefs. That’s just kind of where we are.”

Ramsey’s return wasn’t the only good news for the Steelers.

Rookie offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, the team’s first-round draft pick, returned to full practice after missing the past two weeks with an undisclosed injury. McCarthy left open the possibility that Iheanachor could play in Thursday’s preseason finale in Buffalo.

“That’s the plan,” Iheanachor said. “I wanted to play since the first preseason game, but obviously missing practices and stuff, I couldn’t get out there with the guys.”

Ramsey’s return is another step for the Steelers’ new coaching staff to determine how it wants to deploy its secondary once the regular season starts. Safety DeShon Elliott returned last week and played in Friday’s loss to the New York Jets.

But in addition to Porter, safety Jaquan Brisker — who was signed in free agency — has also been out.

“We need the whole secondary out there,” Ramsey said. “They’ve got to pay Joey, and we’ve got some other guys that are out, as well. So the secondary has not been out there together yet.”

Porter, of course, is the key. And the new coaching staff hasn’t had a chance to see him work in practice since they arrived.

“We’ve seen him play. We competed against Joey,” McCarthy said. “I would love the opportunity to coach Joey Porter. I know our defensive guys would love the opportunity.

“I learned in my early years as a head coach you have to separate the business and the football. Sometimes it’s easier than others. This is a challenge for both Joey and us because we’re the first-year staff.”

Getting Iheanachor back — and seeing him play in Buffalo — would be a big step toward determining how soon the rookie can slide into the starting right tackle position.

Dylan Cook has been the starter at right tackle since the first day of training camp and, despite giving up a sack against the Jets, has been more than serviceable.

But the right side of the offensive line, which includes Spencer Anderson at guard, has been flip-flopped from 2025 after Troy Fautanu and guard Mason McCormick were moved to the left side.

Iheanachor was having his best day of practice when he was injured. Despite missing more than two weeks, he will get a chance to show his progress against the Bills.

“I think I was doing some stuff right, but there was a lot of stuff I could have still done better when you go back and watch the film,” Iheanachor said. “I just try to come out every day and just pick something to focus on and work on — everything, right steps, zone blocking, pass blocking. I try to refine those every day and just keep getting better at it.”

It initially appeared Iheanachor’s injury was not a problem because he returned to the practice field at Saint Vincent College for the next two days. He did not participate in individual or team drills, but his presence in uniform suggested his injury was not serious.

He did not anticipate being out as long as he was.

“I came to practice a couple days after it happened. It just wasn’t the best idea at the moment,” Iheanachor said. “So I had to just learn and be patient.”

So he watched and learned — “staying locked in mentally,” he said — by studying Fautanu and the other veterans.

“I always just try to learn from them every day,” Iheanachor said. “I think they go about the little things. They do the little things right and they come up here every day with great intensity. You try to pick up little stuff from them every day.”

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