Joey Porter Jr. has been ruled out for the Steelers' Thursday matchup with the Browns, marking his fourth straight absence. Porter was listed as a full participant in practice Monday and Tuesday before being downgraded to limited participation Wednesday, when Pittsburgh placed his back injury back on the injury report.
Porter's absence comes amid an ongoing contract stalemate with the Steelers. According to CBS Sports agent analyst Joel Corry, Pittsburgh should break its policy against in-season contract talks to retain its lockdown cornerback before the dispute escalates into a trade request. Jalen Ramsey, the Steelers' other cornerback, is listed as questionable for the game.