**Glad to be back:** The Steelers are coming off their bye this week with a 3-1 record and in first place in the AFC North.
And that isn't even the good news.
The good news is, they could be getting a few more weapons back on defense.
Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said on Monday that he is doing 'great' and projects himself to return to the field this week when the Steelers host the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium.
"I'm good," said Porter. "I'm doing great. Glad to be back."
When pushed even more if he is certain about this week, Porter left little doubt about his availability.
"Yeah, definitely," said Porter. "Yeah, I'll be back for sure."
Porter missed the last three games with a hamstring injury and said the timing of the bye week was perfect for some last-minute healing.
"I wanted to get back before the bye week, just to get my little groove in, but it was for the greater good," said Porter. "I sat. I got some more time. So yeah, we're ready now."
While Porter wanted to push his way back onto the field, he knew there was a plan and that Coach Mike Tomlin was looking out for his best interest in the long run.
"He had a timeline in mind, and he's the head coach, so he's got that right," said Porter. "So, whatever he calls, I'm with it."
The secondary has dealt with its share of injuries so far this season, including Porter, DeShon Elliott and most recently Jalen Ramsey, who was injured in the win over the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland.
Getting Elliott back for the Vikings game, and likely Porter for the Browns game, gives the unit a boost, but it's a unit that is prepared no matter who is out there.
"It's really going to be the same," said Porter. "Coach said before I went down, we've got horses. We've got a lot of good guys that come in and make plays. I went down and then we had Brandin Echols step up and make some plays these past couple of games.
"So, I feel like the clock is just going to keep ticking. We're going to just keep grinding and striving to be our best out there.
"That's just a part of football. We all know that. Going in, we've all got to have our guys ready and be prepared so when one guy goes down, we already know the next guy's up and we're going to focus on that guy that's up. We're not really going to worry too much about the guy that's down. We're going to let him get recovery and come back, but we just got to keep going."
The Steelers will be facing a Browns team that is coming off a loss to the Vikings in London, with a rookie quarterback in Dillon Gabriel who will be making only his second NFL start.
Porter said the focus this week isn't on Gabriel, but the scheme as a whole in a game that always brings out the best of both rivals.
"We're really not looking at the rookie quarterback, we're really looking just at the rivalry in itself," said Porter. "This is one of those games, it doesn't matter who's out there, it's going to be a close battle. And that's how we're preparing for it regardless of the situation.
"We're just going to keep moving forward with that mentality."