Amid the Joey Porter Jr. saga, Asante Samuel Jr. has shined as his replacement for the Steelers

Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sep 24, 2026

Published in Football

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While many questions remain about the offense, two things haven’t changed in the Steelers’ secondary.

The Joey Porter Jr. situation continues to drag on amid much uncertainty.

And Asante Samuel Jr. continues to play at a high level as his replacement.

For now, it appears it might be another week without Porter and another start for Samuel when the Cincinnati Bengals come to town on Sunday.

Porter said Thursday after practice his approach hasn’t changed and he will “just keep ramping up, keep doing what I do and just be there for my teammates.”

And coach Mike McCarthy said Porter “hit the target on what was planned for him” in practice.

“We’ll see how it goes,” he added.

How long will this saga go on?

Asked if he sees himself playing at some point this season, Porter said, “Yeah, definitely.”

The Steelers continue to list the official reason for Porter’s limited participation in practice as “conditioning/not injury related.” They no longer list the reason as “back,” which Porter said he injured on the first day of training camp.

“It’s both,” the cornerback said Thursday. “My back has its moments where it flares up here and there. We’re still trying to get my conditioning down to just me being out there as much as possible.”

The Steelers told Porter and his representatives before the season opener they will no longer discuss a new contract. Porter rejected an offer for slightly more than $27 million annually, according to sources. That would have placed him among the top seven cornerbacks in the NFL by yearly average.

Since then, it has been a cat-and-mouse game in which the Steelers have been vague about their cornerback’s return and Porter’s actual intentions.

“I know you guys are tired of it,” Porter said. “I am, too.”

Meanwhile, Porter’s absence has not dramatically affected the position. And a lot of that has to do with Samuel, who is back playing at the level he enjoyed before he had spinal fusion surgery.

McCarthy repeatedly referred to Samuel as one of the standouts of training camp and the coach has seen nothing after two games to change his opinion.

“I like to rave about him because he’s been on the mark since Day 1, all the way through the spring and training camp,” he said. “He’s put together two nice outings and he’s got a big challenge this week.”

If not for his neck injury, Samuel would have been one of the top free agents on the market in 2025.

Samuel had the surgery that April. It was performed by David Okonkwo, the Steelers’ neurosurgeon. Samuel, who played the previous four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, was recommended to Okonkwo by his agent.

Because the Steelers were familiar with his injury and return to health, they signed him last Nov. 12.

“I definitely had doubts and thoughts about if I could come back,” Samuel said. “But at the end of the day, once I went through with it, I put my heart into it — the rehab, the recovery — and I trusted Dr. O and his team. And everything worked out.”

The Steelers re-signed Samuel to a one-year, $4 million deal this offseason, and he feels more like himself.

“It’s miles away from last season,” Samuel said. “I went through a lot mentally during that time and I’m just trying to get back how I was. Physically, I can’t really do as much as I could during the rehab. I was just trying to do as much as I can while still trying to maintain what I still have.”

Samuel jumped on the national stage in his second season when he intercepted three passes in the Chargers’ playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It even caught the attention of his new cornerback partner, Jamel Dean.

“At that point, that’s when I had to figure out who this guy is,” Dean said. “He’s a competitive guy, and you can tell he loved football.”

Samuel and Dean will be tested Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. Neither has played against Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and his two wide receivers, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. They have helped the Bengals get off to a 2-0 start.

“I just want to show my teammates and the coaching staff that I’m consistent and just a playmaker, a ballhawk,” Samuel said. “That’s what my career has been and that’s what I want to continue. I want to continue to keep that going.”

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