Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t appear any closer to an agreement on a contract extension, as he remains on the Active/PUP list and continues to work his way back from a back injury that “flared up” during the conditioning test ahead of training camp,

Steelers GM Omar Khan said at the start of training camp that no extensions were imminent. A few days later after Porter landed on Active/PUP, the Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported that the Steelers coaching staff wasn’t happy with Porter for holding in during the offseason.

Now, with Asante Samuel Jr. off to a hot start in training camp making plays left and right, the biggest question surrounding the team is Porter’s health and the contract situation getting resolved. ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided an update on the cornerback market over the weekend, stating some dominoes will start to fall shortly.

But according to Dulac, the Steelers haven’t even had serious discussions with Porter. Appearing on 102.5 WDVE Monday morning, Dulac stated that the two sides haven’t gone back and forth in negotiations. However, there is financial hold-up between the two.

“I don’t think there’s any question it’s going to get done…” Dulac said of Porter, according to audio via 102.5 WDVE. “And so I don’t think they have any intention, one, of letting it weaken by not signing their best corner. And two, I don’t think whether it was strong or not, they had any intention of not resigning Joey Porter Jr. I think it gets done. And I have not been told that it’s an impasse as to how much.

“And again, maybe that’s changed in the last couple days. It’s just that there’s been no significant back and forth between the sides to get it done. And I can’t honestly tell you why that is the case.”

If the money isn’t a problem as Dulac is reporting, then it certainly seems like the two sides are waiting to see what happens with Seattle’s Devon Witherspoon and New England’s Christian Gonzales. Witherspoon was the former No. 5 overall pick and was a key part of Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning defense last season, while Gonzales was a first-rounder in the same season as Porter and has an All-Pro on his resume.

Porter is coming off a great third season, holding opposing quarterbacks to under 50% completion percentage when targeted. He cleaned up the penalties and was able to really lock down some key matchups throughout the second half of the season.

Though he might not be a top-10 cornerback in the league right now, he’s in line for a big extension and the Steelers should take care of it quickly. Get him signed, get him off Active/PUP and get him geared up for the season.

He’s a vital part of a defense that many have high hopes for under new coordinator Patrick Graham. The time is now to get up to speed and comfortable with all the new pieces in place.