The Dallas Cowboys pulled off a massive NFL trade for Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. late on Wednesday night, and for a team that is desperate for help in the defensive backfield, the priority has been getting Porter into uniform and on the field for Week 4’s matchup against the Texans. The Cowboys are down starter Cobie Durant and his backup, Shavon Revel, is also dealing with injuries, so getting something out of Porter as quickly as possible has been the goal.
Porter practiced on Thursday and impressed the Cowboys, despite not having played at all this season as he was in a contract standoff with the Steelers. But Porter is ready to go for Dallas, even without a new contract, and will likely get some snaps against the Texans in what might well be a must-win.
Cowboys ‘Overpaid’ for Joey Porter Jr.
The one lingering issue that has been overlooked for those Cowboys backers celebrating the addition, though, is the fact that the Cowboys paid a pretty steep price–and might not have had many other teams realistically in the hunt for Porter. In fact, according to a report in The Athletic, GMs around the league rapped the Cowboys for giving up a second-rounder in 2028 and a sixth rounder next year for Porter, who is very good in man coverage, but is not versatile enough to be a top NFL corner.
Here’s what the site’s Jonathan Jones wrote: “Many around the league believed Dallas overpaid, based largely on the belief that teams don’t view Porter as a top-tier corner. The Cowboys have a strong recent history of overpaying for talent: a fourth for Trey Lance, a fourth for receiver Jonathan Mingo, a fifth for Joe Milton, a fourth for Rashan Gary.
‘Bidding Against Themselves’
The Cowboys have said they are in win-now mode, with team owner Jerry Jones approaching 84 years old and beginning to feel more desperation to return to the Super Bowl. And the Cowboys would defend themselves by saying that they could reap a good compensatory pick in free agency if Porter signs elsewhere as a free agent next winter.
But Jones cited an executive who said, “They were bidding against themselves for Porter.”
Again, the Cowboys could defend themselves by saying that executive is wrong–the Lions openly admitted they were pursuing Porter, too. But the Porter deal was expensive–and not everyone is on board.
Cowboys Ripped for ‘Overpay’ in Massive New Trade