If the Dallas Cowboys want to keep new cornerback Joey Porter Jr. on board following his arrival via trade with the Steelers, they will have to pay him. And waiting to pay him until after the season, of course, will make him more expensive. Porter was willing to take a deal for $28 million per year from the Steelers before the trade, but that will likely bump up to $30 million next winter, especially if he plays well for the Cowboys. Dallas could have room for Porter–but only if it dumps DaRon Bland.
It’s been both sad and frustrating to see Bland’s game fall apart after his promising second season back in 2023, when he intercepted nine passes and brought five of them back for touchdowns. He was an All-Pro that year, and that was the reason the Cowboys gave him a hefty $90 million contract last August.
Daron Bland Allowing 126.2 Passer Rating
But Bland has not been the same since he fractured a bone in his foot, an injury that happened in training camp in 2024 and led to a down year for the Cowboys. The surgery did not take, it seems, because he needed another surgery after last season, which was the second straight poor season for Bland. He allowed a passer rating of 60.8 when he was targeted in 2023, but in 2024 that was up to 105.7, and it was 103.3 last year.
This year, it has been even worse, 126.2. And because of that, it is time for the Cowboys to find their way out of Bland’s contract.
Cowboys Should Keep Joey Porter
That’s the view from Dan Rogers of the Blogging the Boys Cowboys analysis site. It will be a costly short-term move for the Cowboys, but will help free up the long-term space that could be used to sign Porter.
Writes Rogers: “They just traded for a proven, reliable coverage corner in Joey Porter Jr. … Porter long-term will be expensive, but if management chooses to move on from Bland, they can easily reallocate those funds.
“Cutting ties with Bland after the 2026 season means they will have to eat $21.5 million in dead money from his signing bonus and recent contract restructuring. However, it frees them from the remaining $55.7 million left on the four-year, $90 million deal he signed just last year.”
From what Bland has shown so far, there’s little reason to keep him on.
Cowboys Urged to Cut Ties With $90 Million Starter Amid Struggles