Steelers trade cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to Cowboys for future draft picks
Pittsburgh sent veteran cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to Dallas in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round and a 2028 second-round selection, ending a contract dispute that kept him inactive early in the season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have completed a trade that sends cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas will compensate the Steelers with a sixth-round pick in the 2027 draft and a second-round pick in the 2028 draft. Porter, a 2023 second-round pick and son of former Steelers pass rusher Joey Porter, had been inactive for the first three games after a back injury was cleared, amid reports he rejected a $27 million contract offer for 2026.
The move gives Dallas a potential starter as the team copes with a hamstring strain to starting cornerback Cobie Durant, who is expected to miss the Week 4 matchup against the Texans. The Cowboys' defense currently ranks near the bottom of the league in points allowed, third-down efficiency and red-zone efficiency.
The transaction marks the third recent trade between the two franchises, following Pittsburgh’s earlier deal that sent offensive tackle Broderick Jones to Dallas and a 2005 trade that sent wide receiver George Pickens to the Cowboys for draft picks.
Porter, who entered the league as a rookie starter and has faced top receivers such as Ja'Marr Chase and Jerry Jeudy, has recorded three career interceptions and worked to reduce penalties for holding and pass interference.