The Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys are set to square off on Sunday in a battle between Texas’ two NFL franchises, and there will be some major reinforcements coming for both teams.
Dallas is set to debut their newest trade acquisition, former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
The Cowboys acquired Porter in a trade late Wednesday evening, shipping a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick to Pittsburgh to get the deal done.
Porter, who had been in a contract dispute with the Steelers dating back to the summer, has been nursing a back injury and has yet to appear in a game this season.
ESPN’s Todd Archer shared information from an interview with Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones on 105.3 The Fan on Friday, revealing Porter’s intention to play.
Joey Porter Jr. is Magically Healthy Again
Archer shared that not only will Porter be active for the Week 4 contest against the Houston Texans, but Jones believes he’ll get significant snaps.
Speaking on 105.3 The Fan Friday after practice, executive vice president Stephen Jones said, “We actually think Joey Porter will get snaps.”
“Joey Porter Jr. carries no injury designation into Sunday’s game against the Texans and will be available to make his Cowboys’ debut. Speaking on 105.3 The Fan Friday after practice, executive vice president Stephen Jones said, ‘We actually think Joey Porter will get snaps,'” wrote Archer in a post on X.
“Porter, who was ruled out of Thursday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns after saying his back was tight, practiced the last two days without issue.”
It is just a bit ironic that Porter practiced this week with no issues after having sat out all of training camp and the first two games of the regular season for the Steelers.
Clearly, it was a ploy to get the Pittsburgh Steelers to sign him to a new contract.
I mean disrespect when I say that about Porter. Players should use every tool they have at their disposal when looking to get paid, and this was what the former Penn State standout had at his disposal.
It hasn’t earned him that long-term contract quite yet, though. He joins the Cowboys as an impending free agent, and it seems like Dallas isn’t keen on extending him quite yet.
They’ll likely wait and see how he performs before talking turkey with the young cornerback.
Joey Porter Jr. Faces Tall Task in Nico Collins
While the Dallas Cowboys got some reinforcements on defense in Porter, the Houston Texans have a weapon coming back into the fold themselves with superstar wide receiver Nico Collins returning after a two-game hiatus.
Collins suffered a hamstring injury in practice leading into their Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and it left him sidelined for the team’s Week 3 game against the Indianapolis Colts as well.
Collins is one of the league’s top receiving threats when healthy, and he’ll surely be raring to go after missing extended time already this season.
It’s unclear how much or how often he’ll be matched up against Porter, but it will surely be a fun battle to watch as two of the league’s best go against one another.
Cowboys’ Joey Porter Jr. Set to Make Debut Against Texans