There’s a problem when one becomes the boy who cried wolf — no one believes you anymore. That’s an issue former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. seems to be experiencing early in his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys.
Porter missed Week 5 with the stomach flu. Now entering Week 6, the Cowboys have Porter listed as questionable because of an ankle injury.
The ankle ailment is a new development that some members of the Cowboys organization don’t appear to be acknowledging. But nonetheless, Porter was limited in practice Wednesday and Friday this week.
This is notable because of the phantom back injury he had at the end of his Steelers tenure. Porter landed on the PUP list in late July because of his back. Then when the team failed to sign him to a contract extension, Porter continued to miss time because of his back problem.
The cornerback sat out three games and was set to miss Week 4 before the Steelers traded him to Dallas.
Porter made his Cowboys debut four days after the trade. But he missed the following game and is in danger of sitting out Sunday.
Will Joey Porter Jr. Miss Cowboys Matchup vs. Packers?
The Cowboys have made clear that the cornerback isn’t going to get a new contract before the offseason. That was an issue with the Steelers when the team ended negotiations when the regular season began.
However, Porter explained to reporters upon arriving in Dallas he didn’t feel valued in Pittsburgh. Since no contract negotiations have taken place in Dallas, it’s unlikely the Cowboys have made him feel disrespected.
Put sanother way, it doesn’t make much sense Porter would play four days after getting traded to Dallas and then resume his hold-in.
If the contract was an issue, then Porter wouldn’t have played in Week 4 for Dallas. The cornerback only missed Week 5 because he came down with a terrible flu hours before the game.
“I really just couldn’t hold anything down,” he told DallasCowboys.com. “You know, I just kept throwing up. I try to fight through. I tried to take a nap before the game, just to shake it off, but I just couldn’t hold in deep down.
“So that’s when they made the call to send me home.”
Porter then told DallasCowboys.com’s Patrik Walker that he hoped to not be on a snap count this Sunday.
It’s notable, though, that Walker reported Porter returned healthy and practiced Wednesday when he actually was limited. Porter was limited hours prior to Walker publishing his story covering Porter’s sudden Week 5 illness.
The cornerback probably deserves the benefit of the doubt. But it’s also understandable if Steelers fans and others don’t want to give it to him.
Stephen Jones Speaks out on Porter
NFL fans will find out for certain whether Porter is sincere that he wants to move forward with the Cowboys this season on Sunday night. Stephen Jones, though, did his best to squash any concern during his radio appearance Friday.
“Oh, absolutely. I think he’s all in,” said Jones, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “He wants to be out there; he was sick. He couldn’t play last week with the flu.
But he obviously played in our first game, and I think he’s fired up about what he can do to help us win against the Packers.
Like Walker, Jones didn’t acknowledge Porter’s new ankle issue.
Porter didn’t register a statistic in his Cowboys debut, but he scored strong analytical grades. Porter played 25 defensive snaps versus the Houston Texans.
Ex-Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr. Has New Injury With Cowboys