The Dallas Cowboys are going to be down one of their most prominent cornerbacks when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5.
The Cowboys ruled out Joey Porter Jr. with an illness just a couple of hours before their "Thursday Night Football" game, according to multiple reports.
The Cowboys acquired Porter in a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 1. The 26-year-old missed the first three games of the 2026 NFL season while in a contract dispute with his former team but was able to suit up for the Cowboys in Week 4 against the Houston Texans.
Porter played 25 defensive snaps in his Cowboys debut but did not record a box score statistic.
Cobie Durant is also out for Dallas' Week 5 game against the Buccaneers, so DaRon Bland, Shavon Revel
and Reddy Steward seem likely get a majority of the Cowboys' snaps at cornerback.
Why isn't Joey Porter Jr. playing tonight?
Porter was ruled out for Dallas' "Thursday Night Football" game against the Buccaneers because of an illness. Further information about the 26-year-old's absence was not immediately disclosed.
Porter did appear on the Cowboys' injury report in the lead-up to Week 5. However, he was never listed as having an illness until just before Thursday's game. Instead, he was dealing with an ankle injury but logged full participation at all of Dallas' practice sessions.
Joey Porter Jr. trade details
Below are the full details of the trade that landed Porter in Dallas.
Cowboys receive:
- Joey Porter Jr.
Steelers receive:
- 2027 sixth-rounder
- 2028 second-rounder
The trade continued a trend of recent transactions between the Cowboys and Steelers. Dallas also acquired wide receiver George Pickens and offensive tackle Broderick Jones from Pittsburgh in trades that occurred in May 2025 and August 2026, respectively.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Joey Porter Jr. playing tonight? What we know about Cowboys CB's status
