The Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly just shipped starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, and get this: there won’t be a first-round pick involved in the deal. Tom Pelissero of The Ringer dropped that bomb, with Ed Werder confirming the pick situation. It’s a wild move for a player who hasn’t even played a snap all season.
Pittsburgh’s Impasse Blew Up Their Secondary
Can you believe this? Porter Jr. is under a $4.9 million cap hit in the final year of his rookie deal, and the Steelers apparently fumbled the bag big time on an extension. They tried to lock him up this offseason, but couldn’t get it done before their Week 1 negotiating deadline. General manager Omar Khan straight up told reporters back in August they weren’t changing that deadline. Ouch. Porter got slapped on the PUP list early August after reportedly tweaking a back injury, then coach Mike McCarthy later said they were at an “impasse” in contract talks. So, the dude missed three whole games for the Steelers and now he’s gone, traded without logging a single snap in 2026. What a mess. This comes after McCarthy replaced longtime head coach Mike Tomlin this offseason, and McCarthy had even said in August he wanted to coach Porter. Talk about awkward.
Dallas Snags a Shutdown Corner on the Cheap
While Pittsburgh was tripping, the Cowboys were making moves. ESPN’s Adam Schefter had reported Dallas was among the teams, including the Detroit Lions, sniffing around Porter Jr. And the Cowboys, always looking to bolster that D, won the bidding war. This isn’t their first rodeo trying to overhaul the defense, either. Last season they nabbed Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams, then added Rashan Gary, and drafted Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence this past spring. Now, they’re beefing up a secondary that’s been struggling early this season, especially after losing Cobie Durant to injury. Dallas is sitting at a 1-2 start, so they’re hoping more pass protection can turn things around. Porter Jr. isn’t just some dude either. Last season, he racked up 52 tackles, 14 passes defensed, a sack, and an interception, playing 94 percent of the Steelers’ defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus said he was mostly solid in run defense and coverage, and PFSN even had him ranked top-five in the NFL in yards allowed per coverage snap. Plus, this dude hasn’t allowed a touchdown on a regular-season coverage snap since Week 8 of the 2023 season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That’s lockdown stuff! His defensive efforts last year were a huge reason the Steelers even made it to the playoffs before losing to the Texans in the Wild Card round.
So, the Steelers are left with a gaping hole and coach McCarthy is gonna be scrambling to make more moves before the deadline. Meanwhile, the Cowboys just got a serious boost for their secondary, and they’ll be hoping Porter Jr. can help them get back on track from their 1-2 start. This trade? It’s a statement for Dallas, and a huge head-scratcher for Pittsburgh.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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