What happened: Pittsburgh said Joey Porter Jr. is expected to do more in practice Wednesday after a limited workload last week. He is in the final year of his rookie contract, and the Steelers had not yet offered him a deal during the impasse.

Why it matters: Availability is the real issue because a starting corner cannot be both a major part of the defense and a weekly uncertainty at the same time. If Porter is healthy enough to ramp up now, Pittsburgh needs a clear path to getting him on the field instead of letting the season stay stuck in wait-and-see mode.