The Joey Porter Jr. saga came to an end when the Steelers traded the cornerback to the Cowboys for two draft picks late Wednesday. Pittsburgh received a 2028 second-round pick and a conditional 2027 sixth-round selection, the latter of which is a formality. The Steelers will secure the sixth-rounder if Porter is on the Cowboys’ gameday roster at least twice, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.
Porter complained of a back injury since Pittsburgh opened training camp in late July. He missed the Steelers’ first three games and would have sat out their Thursday night tilt with the Browns, but the healing process has accelerated since the trade. Porter passed his physical with Dallas on Thursday and participated in practice. He even has a chance to make his Cowboys debut on Sunday against the Texans.
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“He moved around good today,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer observed (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “It was a good start today. It was a positive first day.”
Porter also offered a positive update after practice, telling Machota and other reporters his back is “feeling better” and adding he might be ready for Week 4. As for Porter’s long-term outlook, the fourth-year veteran indicated he wants to stay in Dallas for good.
“I’m down with it if they are,” Porter said. “I want to finish my career here.”
Porter, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, engaged in contentious extension talks with the Steelers leading up to the season. General manager Omar Khan reportedly didn’t even make him an offer until a few days before their opener, and though the proposal was worth $27MM per year, it didn’t suffice.
Thanks to the Steelers’ longstanding policy of shutting down extension negotiations when the season begins, there was no chance they were going to work anything out with Porter in 2026. Porter was not open to playing his contract year with the Steelers, who he believes disrespected and undervalued him, but the Cowboys think he’s willing to do so for them, per reports from Ed Werder of WFAA and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Porter essentially confirmed as much Thursday, saying he will “bet on himself” in Dallas (via Archer). One reason? His family’s long-running affinity for the franchise.
“My whole family been Dallas fans our whole lives,” the 26-year-old stated (via Machota). “Even my dad was a Dallas fan, my mom and everything. So this ain’t the first time we’re gonna have stars in the house. But now that we’re actually here, they’re going to rep this pretty hard, so I’m excited about that.”
Porter’s father, a former linebacker who played 13 years in the NFL, spent eight successful seasons in Pittsburgh. He later coached there from 2015-18. His son was born in nearby Wexford, Pa., attended Penn State and joined the Steelers as the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 draft, but he has now left the state over irreconcilable differences regarding his value.
The Cowboys could eventually make Porter one of the highest-paid corners in the league, but it may depend on whether he can help fix a struggling, injury-ravaged defense. As of now, he and wide receiver and former Steelers teammate George Pickens are the highest-profile impending free agents on Dallas’ roster.
The Jerry Jones-led Cowboys kept Pickens around via the franchise tag last offseason, and if both players are still unsigned as free agency nears in 2027, the team could have an interesting choice on its hands. Tagging Pickens again would lead to a $32.76MM bill, while designating Porter as their franchise player would cost the Cowboys around $23MM.
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