For Dallas Cowboys star cornerback Joey Porter Jr, acquired last month in a trade with the Steelers, it probably started with the fateful Week 5 game against the Buccaneers. He had played briefly in the Week 4 win over the Texans, but against Tampa Bay on a Thursday night, Porter had shown up for the game with an illness, reportedly vomited, and was told to go home. After the game, former star defensive back Richard Sherman–now an analyst with Amazon Prime–suggested that Porter had been faking the illness because he wants a new contract. Porter had been sitting out with a dubious back injury in Pittsburgh as he held out for a contract extension, and the implication from Sherman was that he was doing it again in Dallas.
Now, Porter is still not 100%. He’s been dealing with an ankle injury–he called his foot “jacked up” on Thursday–since Week 6 in Green Bay and, attempted to play through it in Weeks 7 and 8. The Cowboys sat him out in Week 9 and he is still not fully practicing this week.
Joey Porter Jr.: ‘I Don’t Know Where That Narrative Comes From’
Again, the questions about whether Porter is really hurt or just protecting himself in service of a contract extension from the Cowboys are still bubbling. On 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Cowboys insider Bobby Belt said, “Joey Porter Jr. was a DNP, did not participate. So that one is apparently lingering a little bit, and either that is his contract situation lingering a little bit as conspiracy theorists have suggested or the injury itself is lingering.”
Asked about those theories on Thursday, Porter pushed back hard.
He said: “That has no – I don’t even know where that narrative comes from. I mean, I get it, it’s the internet, but I really don’t pay attention to that or really care for that. My goal is to win games and play football. That’s what I want to do. So if there’s any chance I can get on the field, I’m going to get on the field and do what I do best.”
Cowboys Need Secondary Help
Porter has, since his arrival in Dallas ahead of Week 4, been outstanding for the Cowboys when he is on the field. but that is a pretty big qualifier. Thus far, Porter has played just 148 snaps in four games, with a high of 51 in Week 7 against the Eagles, and just 36 snaps in Week 8 before sitting last week.
Porter said he is about 70% when he gets on the field. But 70% of him is still a lot better than most of the Cowboys defensive backs.
“The whole foot’s jacked up,” Porter said. “I was playing on it for a while, and it just kept getting worse to where I had to shut it down. I feel like all the guys are wanting me to get back. They know what I could do when I’m out there on the field. I bring a presence out there that is a game-changing type presence. I’m just trying to get back out there as fast as possible.”
Cowboys Star Fires Back at Contract Accusations Amid Injuries