PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. returned to practice on Tuesday. However, the contract dispute that has lingered through training camp remains unresolved. Speaking with reporters for the first time since OTAs, Porter insisted that a back injury was the “whole” reason he spent training camp on the Physical Unable to Perform list. At the same time, Porter gave non-committal (and sometimes contradictory) answers when asked if he’ll play in the season opener.One exchange in particular sums up the uncertainty. At one point, the cornerback was asked: If he’s healthy, will he play against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1?“Yeah, for sure,” Porter said.Then, Porter paused for a second.“Maybe,” he added, almost as an aside.Throughout the interview, Porter was asked a number of similar questions. He provided a variety of different answers.Do you see yourself playing against the Falcons? “I can’t read the future. I couldn’t even give you that answer, to be honest.”If a deal gets done, would that be enough time for you to play?“I mean, I’m a ballplayer. I’m an athlete. I don’t think that would be a problem too much.”If a deal doesn’t get done, will you still play?“I don’t know. I’ve got to talk to the guys upstairs (in the front office) and my agents about that one.”Joey Porter Jr. and Steelers at an 'impasse' on contract talksMike DeFaboOne way or another, a situation that has dragged out since OTAs could be coming to a head. The Steelers have a long-standing policy that they do not negotiate contracts during the season. On Monday, GM Omar Khan confirmed that the team plans to stick to that precedent; that makes Sept. 13 a hard deadline.