The Dallas Cowboys defense has been, to be plain, brutal this season, and overall, the numbers reflect that. The team is 30th in yardage allowed, at 3,354, and 25th in points allowed, at 236. They’re the worst team against the run in the league–147.4 yards per game–and seventh-worst in coverage. It’s a long litany of feebleness, and one familiar to Cowboys fans who never got the chance to get over the team’s 2025 defensive woes. But there were some signs that things were changing in recent weeks, especially with Joey Porter Jr. on the field. Unfortunately, his ankle injury continues to be an issue and whether, exactly, he can play on Sunday in Week 10, after missing Week 9 against the Colts, remains uncertain.
Porter did some running on Thursday but was listed as a DNP for both practices so far this week. He is not sure he is going to be on the field on Sunday at home against the 49ers, and delivered a less-than-encouraging prognosis of his situation–his foot is, “jacked up,” he told reporters, and if he can play without being a liability, it will be at 70%.
Joey Porter Jr.: ‘My 70% Looks Good’
Porter is not shy when it comes to his opinion of his abilities, and the fact is, the is right: The Cowboys are a much better defense with him on the field, and the team is desperately short on cornerbacks who can even approach his level. So, Porter says, he feels he owes it to the team to bless them with his presence, if possible.
As he said, via Jane Slater of NFL Network: “Tweaked it, Houston game, and I just kept playing on it. Yeah. And you know, my 70% looks good. You know, that’s what I think. So it just got worse, as I kept playing on. … I feel like all the guys are, you know, wanting me to get back. You know, they know what I can do when I’m out there on the field. I bring a presence out there that is a game-changing type presence.”
Porter’s 39.6 quarterback rating when he is targeted is the best on the team. Cornerback Cobie Durant is next, at 71.2.
Status for Cowboys Week 10 Uncertain
What Porter hopes to show before the Cowboys play the 49ers on Sunday is that he can move freely and without pain.
He said had can still pitch in, even at 70%: “You know, be able to cut. You know, I play a position where I got to guard the most athletic people on the field. So if I can’t run, skip, or jump, then I’m no use out there. … I just always have the most confidence in myself to feel like I could do what I can do against anybody, 70% or not. That’s why I was out there with with the 70%. But it just, like I said, it just was getting worse. And I really don’t care too much about the stats. I feel like my tape speaks for itself, and it is what it is.”
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