NFLOct 1
Steelers Trade Joey Porter Jr. To Cowboys for Pair of Draft Picks
Pittsburgh sends the cornerback to Dallas for a 2027 sixth-round selection and a 2028 second-rounder after a prolonged contract dispute and back injury kept him sidelined.
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Deal Terms and Conditions
The Pittsburgh Steelers have traded cornerback Joey Porter Jr. To the Dallas Cowboys for a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder, with Dallas announcing the move on Thursday. Under conditions tied to the 2027 selection, Porter must be on the Cowboys’ gameday roster for two games this season. The clubs have now completed three trades in the past two years, including earlier moves involving George Pickens in May 2025 and Broderick Jones in August.
Contract Impasse and Injury Timeline
The trade ends a months-long saga that ran through the offseason. Porter, a 2023 second-round pick by Pittsburgh, waited on an extension while managing a lingering back issue. The core disagreement centered on guaranteed money in the deal structure, and the sides made little progress even with talks continuing hours before the Steelers’ Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons. Pittsburgh then ended negotiations, consistent with its longstanding approach of not bargaining during the regular season. Porter sat out all of training camp and the preseason after aggravating the back injury in a mobility workout on the first day of camp. He stayed on the physically unable to perform list until roster cutdowns in late August and was a limited participant in regular-season practices until earlier this week. Inactive for the first three games, he was ruled out Wednesday for Thursday night’s matchup against the Browns in Cleveland after a back injury was added to the practice report along with a conditioning designation.
Secondary Needs in Dallas
The Cowboys, whose pass defense has struggled through three games, will work to ready Porter for a possible debut Sunday against the Houston Texans. Dallas has dealt with secondary depth issues, with Cobie Durant expected to sit a second game due to a hamstring strain and Shavon Revel limited after knee and ankle injuries suffered in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Revel had missed the first eight games of his rookie season recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee sustained at East Carolina; the latest problem involves his left knee. Porter started 41 games and posted three interceptions across three seasons in Pittsburgh. The Steelers will continue rotating Asante Samuel Jr., Jamel Dean and Daylen Everette at outside cornerback. Everette, a 2026 third-round pick, played extended snaps in a Week 3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
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