Two days after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason opener, several defensive players did not take part in Sunday’s training-camp practice back up at Saint Vincent College.
Outside linebacker Alex Highsmith has missed a week of practice because of a groin injury. Defensive lineman Keeanu Benton did not participate Sunday after leaving Friday’s home loss to the Houston Texans because of an eye injury. Defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal did not practice because of an undisclosed injury.
Coach Mike Tomlin said cornerback Kalon Barnes (quadriceps) and receiver Tarik Black (hamstring) suffered injuries during Sunday’s practice.
Hand-y man
Joey Porter Jr.’s penchant for putting his hands on wide receivers while the ball in the air surfaced in the preseason opener against Houston.
Porter was called for pass interference on the Steelers’ third defensive series. It came on a deep pass to Robert Woods along the right sideline and resulted in a 24-yard gain to the Houston 33.
It was a continuation of what transpired last week in training camp when the Steelers brought officials in to oversee practice. Porter was flagged then, too.
“We’re going to continue to work that,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said Sunday. “We knew coming out (of college) it was an issue. It started early last year and got better as the season went on. It’s our job to coach him up and continue to help him cut those out, and it’s his job to take that coaching and get better.”
Porter didn’t move into the starting lineup until Week 8 of his rookie season. He was penalized three times for pass interference — another was declined — and three times for holding in his 11 starts.
The series in which Porter was penalized was his last against the Texans. He played 11 snaps.
Starting over
It’s back to the drawing board for Austin in terms of finding a capable fourth outside linebacker.
The Steelers thought they had the band back together when Markus Golden re-signed on a one-year deal on Aug. 1. He abruptly retired late last week. His absence leaves second-year outside linebacker Nick Herbig as the top backup to starters T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
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Golden’s four sacks last year ranked third on the team.
“I’m never comfortable with depth,” Austin said. “I wish I could have four at every position. I’m really comfortable with Herbig, I think he is making the jump. That gives us three. We’re looking for that fourth.”
The Steelers filled Golden’s roster spot by signing undrafted free agent Luquay Washington, who was released by Kansas City three weeks ago. Kyron Johnson appeared in six games with the Steelers last season and has 22 games of NFL experience. Jeremiah Moon, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens, played in eight games last season and had a sack among his five tackles against Houston. Jacoby Windmon (four tackles) and Julius Welschof also are on the roster.
“When you get into the fourth guy at a position, they have to have some special teams value to elevate themselves on our squad,” Austin said.
Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.