The Dallas Cowboys pulled off an overnight trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, plucking cornerback Joey Porter to help bolster an ailing secondary that has been lacking in depth all season, even before it was ravaged by injuries. Porter had been sitting out for the first three weeks of the year with what was being called a sore back, though the wide presumption was that he was really just holding out for a new, massive contract to make him one of the highest paid corners in the NFL.
Longtime Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill wrote on Twitter/X shortly after the deal that the team is expecting Porter to get on the field this Sunday against the Texans in a critical game for the 1-2 Cowboys, who are already without starting corner Cobie Durant and who have seen backup corner Shavon Revel struggle with injury, too. The Cowboys signed corner Alex Austin off waivers this week.
Joey Porter ‘Will Be Able to Play as Soon as Sunday’
Hill, of DLLS Cowboys, noted on Twitter/X that Porter’s back remains an issue, but it does not sound liek a serious one that would prevent him from playing.
From Hill: “Per source, new Cowboys cornerback Joey Porter will be able to play as soon as Sunday against the Texans, ‘As long as the back feels good.’ Porter has missed the first three games of the season with a sore back while trying to negotiate a new contract. There is no new contract with the trade to the Cowboys as of tonight. Traded without a new deal in place.”
Cowboys Will Have Big Decisions in the Winter
Word on Porter had been that he is seeking a $30 million per year contract, but the Cowboys won’t be giving that to him. He will be a restricted free agent next winter, and could easily bolt in free agency–this might, indeed, be a three-month rental for the Cowboys.
Dallas gave up a 2027 sixth-rounder and a 2028 second-rounder for Porter, who could walk in free agency next winter. But the Cowboys’ ace in the hole there is that, if Porter winds up playing well and getting paid by another team, the Cowboys will get a high compensatory pick and make up for a portion of the draft capital they’re losing. But as Blogging the Boys analyst Brandon Loree points out, the Cowboys have a similar situation with George Pickens and could wind up losing both.
As he wrote: “Coming out of Pittsburgh, it sounds like #Cowboys Joey Porter Jr is set to play on current deal. It’ll be an interesting decision between he and George Pickens next offseason—a decision Dallas hopes can be easier if one or both walk if it ends with a Super Bowl.”
Cowboys Quickly Get Good News on Joey Porter Trade for Week 4