The Dallas Cowboys made a seismic move to bolster their defense on Wednesday night, acquiring cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick. Porter is now the third Steelers player Dallas has acquired in the past 18 months, joining George Pickens and Broderick Jones.
To say the Cowboys' secondary is depleted would be an understatement. Christian Parker would love to have Porter available for Sunday's matchup against a desperate 0-3 Houston Texans team.
Porter, though, has been dealing with a "back injury" since training camp. He returned to practice on Monday and Tuesday before reporting back pain in Wednesday's session. He was swiftly ruled out and did not travel with the team to Cleveland for Thursday night's game against the Browns.
Not so fast. Following the trade, ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported that there's a "chance" that Porter suits up for Dallas this week.
"The Cowboys are going to work to get him ready for Sunday and need him with their secondary depleted by injury," Schefter said. "Porter could go from being ruled out for tonight’s game in Cleveland... to playing Sunday vs. the Texans."
It's a miracle (it's not a miracle).
Joey Porter Jr. could play for Cowboys in Week 4 despite being ruled out for Pittsburgh
So, Porter is willing to play out the final year of his rookie deal in Dallas, but not in Pittsburgh? You don't say. That, folks, is another feather in Jerry Jones' cap.
The Cowboys lived through something similar last offseason with Micah Parsons, who was bothered by a "back injury" and didn't practice during training camp while he and agent David Mulugheta negotiated a new deal with Jerry and Stephen Jones. It was an unofficial hold-in.
Parsons appeared on the Packers' injury report after the trade, seemingly just to save Parsons from criticism for not practicing at all in the summer. Any concern about his back disappeared quickly, though, as he played 30 snaps in Green Bay's season opener and didn't look limited in the slightest.
The NFL definitely has a problem. Players who want new deals shouldn't be able to "pretend" to have an injury. It's not a great look for the league -- or the players who pull these stunts -- but Dallas is now on the opposite side of the pendulum. And you know what? It feels pretty good.
What is it about Pittsburgh that made Porter want out so badly? The front office made it clear they weren't willing to give him a premium contract. That drove a wedge into the relationship, and it never recovered.
It's not like he's getting an immediate contract from the Cowboys.
Joey Porter Jr. willing to play out contract with Dallas, but not the Steelers
Multiple reports have confirmed that the plan is for Porter to play out the remainder of the season and let the contract situation take care of itself from there. It's unclear if Dallas even intends to re-sign him after the season.
You have to think the Cowboys discussed that possibility with Porter before agreeing to the trade, which makes his willingness to come to Dallas without the promise of a new deal all the more telling.
Clearly, Porter felt disrespected.
The Steelers invested a second-round pick in Porter four years ago, watched him exceed expectations and develop into a lockdown cornerback, yet weren't willing to make a long-term commitment to him at 26 years old. That's got to be difficult to reconcile with some of the team's other recent business.
Pittsburgh has given third contracts to T.J. Watt and Chris Boswell, a kicker. They also traded for wide receiver D.K. Metcalf and promptly handed him a deal worth $32.99 million per year, and extended edge rusher Nick Herbig this offseason. For whatever reason, Porter wasn't viewed as worthy of the same commitment despite playing a premium position.
We're not going to pretend that Jerry Jones covered himself in glory during the Parsons negotiation, but Pittsburgh's reputation for isolating star players is undeniable at this point.
Their loss is Dallas' gain.
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