Cowboys acquiring cornerback Joey
Porter Jr. from the Steelers for 2 draft picks, AP sources say
[October 01, 2026]
By SCHUYLER DIXON
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are acquiring disgruntled
cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers, two people
with knowledge of the deal said Wednesday night.
Pittsburgh will receive two draft picks from Dallas, a sixth-rounder
in 2027 and a second-rounder in 2028, one of the people told The
Associated Press. Both people spoke to the AP on condition of
anonymity because the teams hadn't announced the deal.
Porter has been inactive all three games this season for the
Steelers. The fourth-year pro has been dealing with a back issue and
had also been in the middle of a stalemate with the Steelers over a
new contract.
The 26-year-old Porter, a second-round pick out of Penn State in the
2023 draft, was seeking an extension as he entered the final year of
his four-year rookie deal.
The Cowboys are getting Porter after earlier Wednesday putting
safety Jalen Thompson (hamstring) on injured reserve with a
designation to return. They also signed three defensive backs to
their practice squad.
Safety P.J. Locke (torn plantar fascia) was already on injured
reserve. He and Thompson were offseason acquisitions by the Cowboys
as a part of retooling the secondary.
It's the second major trade between the Cowboys and Steelers in two
years.
Before the 2025 season, Pittsburgh sent receiver George Pickens to
Dallas for draft picks. He made the Pro Bowl in his Dallas debut,
setting career highs with 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine
touchdowns last season.
Pickens is playing this season on a $27.3 million franchise tag and
has 16 catches for 150 yards without a score.
The Steelers took Pickens out of Georgia in the second round in
2022. While his talent was on display during three seasons with the
Steelers, so were enough instances of petulant or indifferent
behavior for then-coach Mike Tomlin to question his maturity.
Dallas and Pittsburgh also made a lower-profile trade during the
preseason this year. The Cowboys acquired offensive tackle Broderick
Jones and a fourth-round pick in next year’s draft for third- and
sixth-round choices.
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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. during warmups before
an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Pittsburgh,
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Not only is Dallas suddenly seeking reinforcements
in the secondary, but the defense as a whole is off to another rough
start after being one of the NFL's worst in 2025.
The Cowboys are second-to-last in rushing defense and one of four
teams without an interception. Dallas had a franchise-worst six
picks on defense last season.
In a 34-31 loss to Baltimore in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, the
Cowboys let Lamar Jackson complete a 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers
when the Ravens had just 7 seconds on the clock after a tying field
goal by Dallas. Jackson got a timeout called with a second
remaining, and Tyler Loop kicked a winning 56-yard field goal.
While the Cowboys had hopes of a quick turnaround with 34-year-old
Christian Parker as a first-time defensive coordinator, the first
three weeks have shown otherwise. In a season-opening loss to the
New York Giants, Dallas had just two possessions in the second half
because the defense couldn't get a stop.
Porter was among the top 20 in the NFL in pass breakups over his
first three seasons with 31. He had two seasons of double-digit
passes defended. Last season, DaRon Bland was the leader for Dallas
with six as the Cowboys finished last in the league in passing
defense.
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