When the Dallas Cowboys acquired star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago, some people loved the deal, while others scoffed at it. A second-round pick for a cornerback with no Pro Bowls or All-Pros feels steep, especially when he's amid a contract year.
But this Dallas defense needs a shutdown CB1 now more than ever, especially now that DaRon Bland has become a traffic cone in coverage, and they clearly believe Porter will be that, even if that means they're going to make the mistake of waiting until after the season to try to extend him.
Since he missed Thursday night's game, and wasn't a full-go in this system against the Houston Texans, we haven't seen enough of him on the field to determine whether or not this trade was a win. But the Texans' trade for Marvin Harrison Jr. is starting to help this trade age a whole lot better.
Houston gave up a 2027 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick in exchange for Harrison Jr. and a 2027 seventh-round pick. And say what you want about his club control or untapped potential as a top-five pick, but this is an insane overpay for a team that's 1-4.
Marvin Harrison Jr. trade is making the Cowboys' Joey Porter Jr. deal age better
This reeks of the Chase Claypool trade between the Bears and Steelers, which, coincidentally, is the trade that helped Pittsburgh land the pick to draft Porter Jr. to begin with. Meanwhile, the Cowboys gave up a 2028 second-rounder and a conditional sixth in 2027 for a player with better NFL production.
For all we know, if the Texans keep losing, this trade could become a repeat of the Claypool deal, which adds pressure to get Maserati Marv involved. From where I'm sitting, I think they only did this trade to reunite him with his college QB C.J. Stroud in hopes that their reunion will unlock each other.
Yes, the Texans are better than your average 1-4 team, but this pick still has the potential to be inside the top 40 of the 2027 NFL Draft, and at this point in time, Marvin Harrison Jr. is not worth that. He has just five catches this season, and while part of that is a poor connection with Jacoby Brissett, his lack of usage is in large part because he can't get open.
Let's go over some of the players with more yards than Marvin Harrison Jr. this year:
- Dohnte Meyers
- Laquon Treadwell
- Josh Cameron
- Brycen Tremaine
- Cody White
- Efton Chism
Let's remember that for a generational WR prospect, Harrison has a lot of holes in his game. He has size and decent speed, but he struggles to separate against NFL defenders who are the best in the world. They are much bigger, faster, and more physical than the cornerbacks he faced at Ohio State.
Sure, as a complimentary receiver behind Nico Collins, this is a worthwhile gamble, but you aren't giving up an early Day 2 pick for a complimentary option: that's typically what you give up for a WR1. And I can't imagine he'll get that usage on a Houston offense that has been surprisingly good this season.
Marvin Harrison Jr. went for nearly 900 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie, but has been chasing that high ever since. Joey Porter Jr. had 14 PBUs in as many games last year, so when you factor in their production and what each team needed, it's obvious who was more worth the price.
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