The Steelers and Cowboys are finalizing a deal late Wednesday night that will send cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to Dallas in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2027 draft and a 2028 second-rounder.
The Cowboys first called about Porter—who didn’t participate in training camp amid contract talks and hadn’t played this season, citing a back injury—a couple of weeks ago. But trade talks really accelerated in recent days, finally coming to a head less than 24 hours before Pittsburgh was scheduled to kick off Thursday night’s game against the Browns in Cleveland.
A quick look at all sides of the deal:
The Cowboys
Dallas was always the logical landing spot for Porter, a legit cover corner who can shore up the secondary on a team built to win right now. It’s just the latest in-season acquisition by the Cowboys, who traded for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (and linebacker Logan Wilson, who’s no longer with the team) ahead of the trade deadline last season. With bright, young coordinator Christian Parker’s defense faltering in some key moments early this season—including Sunday’s brutal finish against the Ravens in Brazil—the acquisition of Porter is a shot in the arm. It’s also another signal that, even after a 1-2 start, owner Jerry Jones is all in on this team as a Super Bowl contender this season.
The Steelers
Pittsburgh made a run at extending Porter before the season. But in the shadow of a surging cornerback market, the sides just weren’t on the same page to get a deal done. The Steelers have a longstanding organizational policy not to negotiate in-season, so an extension wasn’t getting done at this point. Instead, they now move forward with extra draft capital, plus additional cash and cap resources freed up by not doing an extension for Porter that likely would’ve cost around $30 million a year. They also end the daily questions about whether Porter would take the field in a Steelers uniform again. GM Omar Khan is always aggressive in the trade market, so it’s possible he could now look to add at the cornerback position as well.
Joey Porter Jr.
The son of a Steelers legend, Porter was a second-round pick in the 2023 draft. After three solid seasons, he wanted to get paid now. And once the sides couldn’t reach a deal, Porter conveyed that if he had to play out his rookie contract, he’d rather do it someplace else. By all accounts, he has looked good in practice the past two weeks—the back injury notwithstanding—and should be able to ramp up quickly. The Cowboys could get a deal done with Porter, 26, before free agency in March, or proceed as they did with the last player they acquired from the Steelers: receiver George Pickens, who’s playing this season on the franchise tag.
I really liked Detroit as a landing spot for Porter, but Dallas makes sense as well. NFC East is up for grabs
Good riddance. Go Steelers.