The Dallas Cowboys are wrapping up the preseason here as August winds down and while there is no doubt that the team has greatly helped out its defense with a slew of new acquisitions and the hiring for coordinator Christian Parker, there is also no doubt that this unit remains thin in key places. One of those places is cornerback, which could present a chance for the Cowboys to follow through on the promise made by Jerry Jones at the opening of camp. Jones and the team could go after Joey Porter Jr.
Remember, a month ago, Jones opened training camp in Oxnard by sending a buzz throughout the league when he claimed that the team was on the brink of a major trade. He made clear he would be willing to give up draft capital to get a deal done, but in the end, nothing ever came of it.
A call to old friend Mike McCarthy could change that.
Cowboys Could Eye ‘Significant Name’: Joey Porter Jr.
That’s because McCarthy, the former Cowboys coach, is now coaching the Steelers and confessed this week that the team is “at an impasse” with Porter, the star cornerback who is entering his fourth season but has not been able to come to terms on a new contract.
For Cowboys reporter Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, that is a potential opportunity, as long as McCarthy holds no grudges for having been fired by the Cowboys. “Are you on good enough terms that you could pick up the phone and call about Joey Porter?” Belt asked. “Because that is a significant name.”
He is not an elite corner, but he is certainly among the top starters in the NFL. Said Belt: “He is not a good run-support player. But if you look at his coverage, he was Top 20 last year in coverage. Right now, what the Cowboys want is they want guys who can actually stick to these receivers—which, to the credit of Cobie Durant and Shavon Revel and DaRon Bland, they’ve done a really good job in training camp of staying with these guys.
A Second-Round Pick for Joey Porter Jr.?
As with any trade or transaction, the big question is always: How much? Indeed, a player of Porter’s caliber would require an outlay, and Belt suggested the Cowboys would need to give up a Day 2 pick for Porter.
He said: “I think the price tag might be a second or a third. For Dallas, it would probably be a second. You’re not getting prime Jalen Ramsey. He is a good player, he’s certainly not—this isn’t Trent McDuffie getting traded or somebody like that. You’re going to bring him here and you’re going to have to pay him. So, that would be one where, it would be an intriguing option. I don’t know how functional it would be.”
Porter is projected by Spotrac to have a market value of $23 million per year, with a three-year, $70 million contract in the offing.
Cowboys Thin at Cornerback
There would be some concern about the fit for Porter Jr., especially because of the run-stopping weakness. But the Cowboys are lacking behind the Durant, Bland and Revel trio, and Porter would be a significant upgrade who would move Durant and Revel to reserve roles.
The Cowboys might not keep any of the current players on the depth chart beyond those three. None among the quartet of Trikweze Bridges, Ameer Speed, Caelen Carson and Josh Butler has done enough to surely secure a spot, and while rookie Devin Moore likely will stick on the roster, he is not ready to play.
Cowboys Could Pursue Projected $73 Million Star CB Amid ‘Impasse’