The trade of Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys is not only official, but the player is in the building and has even had his physical. The Cowboys are wasting no time in putting their new acquisition to use, and are even hopeful that Porter Jr. could be on the field for them in three days when the team plays the Texans in Houston for a key NFL Week 4 game out of which the Cowboys would much rather emerge 2-2 than 1-3.
That is a remarkable turnaround for Porter Jr., who was already ruled out for Thursday’s showdown between the Steelers and Browns because of a back injury. But the back injury was always specious at best–Porter was holding out because he wanted a new contract from the Steelers. He is not getting that from Dallas, but he is apparently still willing to take the field.
Cowboys Pushing to Get Joey Porter on the Field
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter on Thursday reported that the intention of the Cowboys, who are battered in the secondary and need some healthy bodies–talent is a plus–on the field, is to play Porter in Week 4. He qualified that as saying there is only a “chance” that Porter plays, but that’s still better than no chance at all.
Wrote Schefter: “There is ‘a chance’ that new Cowboys CB Joey Porter will make his Dallas debut Sunday vs. the Texans, per league source. The Cowboys are going to work to get him ready for Sunday, and need him with their secondary depleted by injury. Porter could go from being ruled out for tonight’s game in Cleveland….to playing Sunday vs. the Texans.”
No Scheme Concerns?
There are questions about how Porter will fit into the defense the Cowboys have been trying to play thus far in 2026 under new coordinator Christian Parker. His scheme has been zone-heavy, and Porter has made his name in man coverage.
Parker was asked about that on Thursday, and did not sound worried about the fit: “”I think the first thing is a lot of zones in the world that we live in are pattern match zones. So once it gets past a certain point, you’re playing man. Especially at the corner position, whether it’s you’re playing quarters, you’re playing cover 3, you’re playing man to man truly.
“More times than not, corners are in situations where they’re responsible for number one [receivers]. So that’ll kind of fluctuate based off the game and the opponent, how much true man we play. For a player like him, more times than not, he’ll be matched up appropriately.”
Cowboys Offer Good News on Joey Porter Jr. for Week 4