Before we get into the initial headlines and reactions to the Joey Porter Jr. trade, there may be a potential schematic benefit to the entire defense that is bigger than just adding one outside corner.
Nate Tice summarizes that thought on Twitter:
On the last pod, I talked about how the Cowboys defense has been better out of Base personnel this year. Which not only gets beef up front, but it puts Caleb Downs at safety.
After breaking that down, I threw out a Joey Porter Jr. trade as a way to improve
their Nickel personnel. Which could put Bland back in the slot and keep Downs on the backend.
And, welp, here we are!
Ben Solak and Seth Walder of ESPN lay it out in more detail.
The salient point is this: Porter can have a rising tide impact on the Cowboys secondary, clarifying the roles of other players and enhancing the whole unit in the process.
Porter is not as tricky of a scheme fit in Dallas as people think, too. His strengths are certainly his length and physicality, such that he can line up in press — but he has been in press alignments on only 30.6% of his snaps over his career, just above the league average for cornerbacks (24.1%). Porter is a much better man coverage defender than he is in zone, as his passer rating allowed in man coverage over the past four seasons is better than all but Derek Stingley Jr. But the Cowboys are actually running more man coverage (24.8%) under first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker than the league average (23.2%) over the first three weeks.
Acquiring Porter does not solve all their deficiencies; linebacker is still a big problem for this team, and the edge rush isn’t far behind. But if the secondary needs less schematic help now that Porter is in play, more coaching tools can be used to hide those other weak spots.
ESPN: Grading in-season NFL trades: Does adding Joey Porter Jr. make sense for the Cowboys?
ESPN clearly sees the Cowboys as the winners of this deal.
Because the Steelers let this go on for so long and bleed into the regular season, they were only able to acquire a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick for a young, ascendent cover corner. They could have — and should have — gotten at least a first-round pick by playing this differently and dealing Porter in the spring or earlier in the summer.
Cowboys grade: B
Steelers grade: C+
USAToday: Who won Joey Porter Jr. trade? Grading deal between Cowboys, Steelers
Just a C- for the Cowboys, although the article seems to imply the trade could get the Cowboys to the postseason.
Jones might feel emboldened by the current state of the NFC East, which could allow for a decidedly imperfect group to seize the crown. Even if Porter’s acquisition boosts Dallas’ odds on that front, does it really position the team to contend with the various powers in the NFC West? Getting back to the postseason probably sounds pretty appealing after a two-year absence, but a mere spot in the playoff field is nothing to mortgage your future over.
YahooSports: Grade the trade: Cowboys get CB Joey Porter Jr. from Steelers
Frank Schwab gives the Cowboys a “B” for the trade.
The Cowboys have given up the third-most yards in the NFL this season. Their secondary has given up seven touchdowns with no interceptions. Of 99 qualified corners for Pro Football Focus’ grades this season, no Cowboys cornerback ranks in the top 50. DaRon Bland is 55th, Cobie Durant is 67th and Shavon Revel is 85th. Durant is dealing with a hamstring injury that will likely keep him out of this week’s game against the Houston Texans, and Revel didn’t practice Wednesday with knee and ankle injuries.
Porter helps right away, assuming he can play soon. It will be costly over time. The second-round pick the Cowboys gave up is valuable, and Porter is going to want a big contract extension. He has a lot of leverage after the Cowboys gave up picks to get him. It’s a fine move that helps a defense that needed a boost in a wide-open NFC East. But it wasn’t cheap.
The Athletic: Steelers finalizing deal to trade Joey Porter Jr. to Cowboys for draft picks
The Athletic explains what the Cowboys are getting in Porter.
The Steelers selected Porter with the 32nd pick of the 2023 draft (the first pick of the second round that year), and by the end of his rookie year, they trusted him to shadow the opponent’s top threat in a man-heavy scheme under former head coach Mike Tomlin. Progress has been steady, but not always linear. In 2024, Porter was the NFL’s most-penalized defensive player, according to NFL Penalties, flagged 17 times (three were declined, two were offsetting and 12 were accepted). He improved his technique last year and trusted it, cutting the infractions nearly in half (nine flags, with six accepted).
By the end of the 2025 season, Porter was playing like one of the NFL’s top corners. He hasn’t allowed a touchdown in coverage since Week 8 of the 2023 season, according to Pro Football Focus, a span of more than 1,000 snaps in coverage. That’s by far the longest active streak in the league. As the primary coverage defender, he also allowed just a 55.9 passer rating, the third-lowest among qualified cornerbacks, according to PFF.
The Steelers’ wild-card playoff game in January presented Porter with a chance to make a closing argument for a contract extension. Matched up against Nico Collins, Porter limited the Texans’ standout receiver to three catches for 21 yards before Collins left the game late in the third quarter with a head injury.
PFT: Steelers trade Joey Porter Jr. to the Cowboys
Mike Florio points out a common thread among three recent Cowboys trades that may prove relevant down the line.
The common link between Porter, a second-round pick in 2023, and Parsons is that both are represented by David Mulugheta of Athletes First. Mulugheta also represents receiver George Pickens, who was traded by the Steelers to the Cowboys in May 2025.
Yahoo Sports: Cowboys’ trade for Joey Porter Jr. is a fitting birthday present for Jerry Jones
Jori Epstein explains
Dallas sits at 1-2 with a need to improve in several areas. But its offense is explosive, and the cost to acquire Porter shouldn’t hurt their immediate window. So a Cowboys team that spent several years quiet on the in-season trade market continued its trend of activity that began last year with a deadline acquisition of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. A Cowboys team that’s become familiar with Steelers decision-makers from recent trades for Pickens and left tackle Broderick Jones hit speed dial to run it back one more time.
On Oct. 13, Jones will turn 84. Wednesday night, as September became October for the Steelers and Cowboys, Jones gifted himself an early birthday present.
SI.com: Dallas Cowboys Trade for Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. in Blockbuster Deal
But will he be ready for Houston?
Along with some early inconsistencies under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, the Cowboys have also had injury issues pile up on defense, particularly at cornerback and safety.
Dallas is set to be without cornerbacks Cobie Durant and Shavon Revel Jr. for multiple weeks, making Porter Jr.’s arrival a timely one.
It remains to be seen if Porter Jr. will be ready to play in time for Dallas’ Week 4 matchup against the Texans on Sunday at NRG Stadium.
