FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Joey Porter Jr. says his back feels better, and it was his call to miss the first three games of the season in a contract stalemate that led to the Dallas Cowboys acquiring the cornerback in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Even though he still isn't getting an extension to his rookie deal, Porter is serious about wanting to make his Dallas debut on Sunday at the Houston Texans, roughly 72 hours after entering his new team headquarters for the first time.
Whether that happens remains to be seen after the Cowboys gave up a sixth-round pick in the 2027 draft and a second-rounder in 2028 to try to help an injury-filled secondary and more broadly a defense that once again — at the moment anyway — is looking like one of the NFL's worst.
“Obviously we have to get him onboarded relative to where’s his conditioning, his body, everything,” Dallas defensive coordinator Christian Parker said Thursday. “Everybody else is three games into this thing, so we got to check his temperature there. Then there’s also the mental tax of learning a new scheme. I’ve been in a bunch of different ones where you sign somebody one week and they’re out there as a first responder on Sunday. And it’s been more of a slow burn. So we’ll see how that goes.”
Porter was inactive all three games this season for the Steelers. The fourth-year pro was said to be dealing with a back issue along with the question about his contract.
It appears landing in Dallas has made a difference.
“Feeling better,” Porter said with a smile, before later saying, “That's more on my end,” when asked how the decision was reached each week on whether he would be active for the Steelers.
The 26-year-old Porter, a second-round pick out of Penn State in the 2023 draft, is in the final year of his four-year rookie deal.
The Cowboys agreed to the trade for Porter on Wednesday after earlier putting safety Jalen Thompson (hamstring) on injured reserve with a designation to return. They also signed three defensive backs to their practice squad.
Safety P.J. Locke (torn plantar fascia) was already on injured reserve. He and Thompson were offseason acquisitions by the Cowboys as a part of retooling the secondary.
Frequent trading partners
It's the second major trade in two years between the Cowboys and Steelers, who also made a lower-profile swap that sent offensive lineman Broderick Jones to Dallas in August.
Before the 2025 season, Pittsburgh sent receiver George Pickens to Dallas for draft picks. He made the Pro Bowl in his Dallas debut, setting career highs with 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns last season.
Pickens is playing this season on a $27.3 million franchise tag and has 16 catches for 150 yards without a score. Porter could end up on the same path toward a one-year offer that would keep him off the free agent market next spring.
“If it comes with it, I'm ready,” Porter said of the specter of the franchise tag, which is projected to be $23.1 million for a cornerback in 2027.
The Steelers took Pickens out of Georgia in the second round in 2022. While his talent was on display during three seasons with the Steelers, so were enough instances of petulant or indifferent behavior for then-coach Mike Tomlin to question his maturity.
The drama surrounding Porter was purely on the business side.
“Definitely felt disrespected. Definitely felt undervalued. But that’s the old news now,” said Porter, who also said he felt more valued by the Cowboys. “I’m on to new beginnings, new chapters.”
Defensive reinforcements
Not only is Dallas suddenly seeking reinforcements in the secondary, but the defense as a whole is off to another rough start after being one of the NFL's worst in 2025.
The Cowboys are second-to-last in rushing defense and one of four teams without an interception. Dallas had a franchise-worst six picks on defense last season.
In a 34-31 loss to Baltimore in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, the Cowboys let Lamar Jackson complete a 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers when the Ravens had only 7 seconds on the clock after a tying field goal by Dallas. Jackson got a timeout called with a second remaining, and Tyler Loop kicked a winning 56-yard field goal.
The Cowboys made the deal for Porter a day after owner and general manager Jerry Jones, speaking generally about the trade market on his radio show, said team was being active.
“Jerry and I have talked from the very beginning, we're in a win-now mindset,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “(Quarterback) Dak Prescott’s still playing at an elite level. We’ve got some elite weapons on offense, and the defense is getting better.”
Bringing some swagger
Porter was among the top 20 in the NFL in pass breakups over his first three seasons with 31. According to NextGenStats, Porter is fourth among cornerbacks in lowest completion rate allowed at 55% since entering the league in 2023. He has three career interceptions in 47 games.
“I’m just bringing that swagger to the defense, that attitude, that culture that they’re looking for that they know I could bring to the team,” Porter said. “I’m just excited about that, to bring some juice to the defense.”
