The Pittsburgh Steelers have traded cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2027 sixth-round draft pick and a 2028 second-round selection, ending a contract standoff that had kept the 26-year-old off the field to begin the season. Dallas announced the deal Thursday after reports of the agreement surfaced Wednesday night.
Porter, a second-round pick out of Penn State in the 2023 NFL Draft, is entering the final season of his rookie contract. He had been seeking an extension from Pittsburgh but did not reach an agreement with the team. He also dealt with a back issue during training camp and was inactive for each of the Steelers’ first three games. Porter was ruled out of Thursday night’s game against the Cleveland Browns before the trade was finalized.
In three seasons with Pittsburgh, Porter appeared in 47 games and made 41 starts, recording 165 tackles, 31 passes defended and three interceptions. He started all 14 games he played in 2025, finishing that season with 52 tackles, 14 passes defended, one sack and one interception, according to Reuters.
The move addresses an immediate need for Dallas, which has dealt with injuries throughout its secondary. Safety Jalen Thompson was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, while cornerbacks Cobie Durant and Shavon Revel Jr. have also been dealing with injuries. The Cowboys entered Week 4 at 1-2 and had allowed the third-most yards in the NFL through three games.
Porter becomes the third Steelers player traded to the Cowboys in the past two years, following wide receiver George Pickens in 2025 and offensive tackle Broderick Jones earlier in 2026. He joins a Dallas defense that has yet to record an interception this season and will face the Houston Texans on Sunday.
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