The Steelers have their initial 53-man roster — but some of the moves they made to get there raise bigger questions about the direction of the organization.

In Episode 9 of the Pittsburgh Football Podcast, I break down the ongoing contract standoff between Joey Porter Jr. and the Steelers as the clock ticks toward the start of the regular season. With Porter activated from the PUP list and Pittsburgh expecting healthy players to practice, who actually has the leverage now? What happens if Porter continues to hold out and starts accumulating fines? And if he returns without a new contract, does that give the Steelers the upper hand?

More importantly: if the Steelers aren't willing to find a way to extend a young, homegrown player like Porter after successfully drafting and developing him, who exactly are they willing to pay?

Then, I dig into the trades of Broderick Jones to the Dallas Cowboys and Kaleb Johnson to the Green Bay Packers. While Pittsburgh managed to get draft capital in return for two players who may not have had significant roles this season, both trades highlight a troubling trend.

Jones was the No. 14 overall pick in 2023. Johnson was the No. 83 overall pick in 2025. Now both are gone — joining a growing list of premium Steelers draft picks who failed to become long-term building blocks for the franchise.

Topics include:

• The latest on Joey Porter Jr.'s contract negotiations
• The leverage Porter and the Steelers each have
• Why the start of the regular season creates a critical deadline
• What happens if Porter practices without a new contract
• Pittsburgh's win-now approach and why Porter should be part of it
• What the Broderick Jones trade says about his development
• Why the Kaleb Johnson trade is more concerning than it might appear
• The Steelers' troubling recent history with first-round draft picks
• Why drafting, developing AND retaining talent has become such an important issue

The regular season is almost here! Subscribe to the Pittsburgh Football Podcast for Steelers and Pitt football coverage throughout the 2026 season.

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TIME STAMPS:

00:00 - Intro
04:48 - Is Joey Porter Jr. Going to be a Steeler in 2026?
20:15 - Broderick Jones and Kaleb Johnson Traded

Football season is finally here!

Pitt opens the 2026 season against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, and if you haven’t been following every twist and turn of the offseason, this episode is designed to get you completely caught up before kickoff.

We go through the biggest developments since Pitt’s bowl loss to East Carolina, including the major roster departures, what Pitt did — and didn’t do — in the transfer portal, and the biggest questions that remain at positions like offensive line, wide receiver, tight end and special teams.

We also break down the chaos surrounding college football’s new 5-for-5 eligibility rule and what it has meant for the possibility of players like Desmond Reid returning to Pitt.

Then we turn our attention to what happened on the field this offseason. There’s been a lot of positive buzz coming out of spring practice and training camp, particularly surrounding Mason Heintschel and the Pitt offense. Pat Narduzzi has been unusually effusive in his praise of that group, while players like Ja'Kyrian “Boozie” Turner, Censere Lee and freshman running back Damon Ferguson have generated plenty of excitement.

On defense, Pitt has major production to replace after losing Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles, but there are reasons to believe the Panthers can reload once again under new defensive coordinator Cory Sanders.

Plus, we discuss Pitt’s new UPMC jersey patch, changes coming to Acrisure Stadium, what stood out from the annual kickoff luncheon, Pitt’s health entering Week 1, and why I’m sticking with my prediction of a 9-3 season and a Pitt team that can contend for a spot in the ACC Championship Game.

If you tuned out after last season ended and are just getting back into Pitt football, this is your primer for the 2026 season.

The wait is over. Let’s play football!

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TIME STAMPS:

00:00 - Intro
04:48 - Comings and goings on Pitt’s roster
13:25 - The 5-for-5 rule and a crazy summer of legal rulings
23:15 - News and notes from spring ball and summer training camp
33:04 - What’s “In The News”

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The 2026 Pitt football season is almost here, and the reports coming out of training camp have been overwhelmingly positive — particularly on offense.

In this episode of the Pittsburgh Football Podcast, I break down everything we’ve heard from Pitt training camp and what I think actually matters as the Panthers prepare for the season.

The biggest story is Mason Heintschel. After bursting onto the scene as a freshman last season, Heintschel appears to have taken another significant step forward. Pitt’s offense has performed extremely well in camp, Heintschel has drawn rave reviews from both local and national media, and there’s growing reason to believe Pitt could have one of the better quarterbacks and offenses in the ACC.

We also dive into Ja'Kyrian Turner’s development at running back, the emergence of true freshman Damon Ferguson, Censere Lee and Pitt’s speedy wide receiver room, why the offense winning Pitt’s training camp scrimmages is noteworthy, and why I’m not particularly concerned about Pat Narduzzi’s defense despite some significant personnel losses.

Finally, we break down one of the strangest stories in college football: the new 5-for-5 eligibility rules and whether former Pitt players could return for another season.

Could Desmond Reid actually return to Pitt after spending time with the Buffalo Bills? Is Justin Holmes a more realistic option? And if Pitt has an opportunity to bring back a player who can immediately make the team better, should they do it?

We break it all down as Pitt gets ready to kick off the 2026 season. Subscribe to the Pittsburgh Football Podcast for more Pitt Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers coverage throughout the football season.

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TIME STAMPS:

00:00 — Intro
03:37 — Mason Heintschel’s impressive training camp
13:57 — Other intel on the offense
22:15 — intel on the defense
26:02 — Could Desmond Reid & Justin Holmes be coming back to Pitt?