Joey Porter Jr. trade grades for Cowboys and Steelers after CB gets dealt for future draft picks

| Getty Images Joey Porter Jr. is headed to the Dallas Cowboys, according to multiple reports. A contract standoff with the Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as a lingering back injury, saw Porter stay on the sidelines to begin the season. But now thanks to a trade — the third between Pittsburgh and Dallas in recent years — Porter is headed to the NFC East. In the deal, the Cowboys are sending a 2027 sixth-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick, to Pittsburgh in exchange for the cornerback, who was the 32nd selection by the Steelers during the 2023 NFL Draft. Let’s hand out some grades. Cowboys grade for Joey Porter Jr. trade Jerry Jones continues to add talent on the defensive side of the ball. For a reason. A year ago, the Cowboys struggled on defense, especially against the pass. Dallas allowed opposing passers to post an Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt of 8.0 last season, the second-worst number in the NFL behind the New York Jets, who rather famously did not record a single interception all season. That lead to an offseason of additions on defense. Not only did Jones trade for Rashan Gary and Dee Winters, but the team added Cobie Durant and Von Miller during free agency, then used a pair of first-round picks on defense as well, with Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence. Dallas also added Jaishawn Barham in the third round, and LT Overton in the fourth. But with injuries mounting in the secondary the depth, or lack thereof, has been tested, and forced some adjustments on that side of the ball. Durant has been out with a hamstring injury, safeties P.J. Locke, Jalen Thompson, and Malik Hooker have been injured, and cornerback Shavon Revel hurt his knee in the Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, after already hurting his ankle. These injuries have seen Downs, who is best suited to play safety, slide down to play in the slot while DaRon Bland, who is best suited as a slot corner, was forced to play on the outside. Acquiring Porter gives first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker a way to solve these issues. Porter can play outside — allowing Parker to shift Bland to the slot and Downs back to a safety role — or Parker could decide to keep Bland on the outside across from Porter (giving him a solid one-two combination at corner) and keep Downs in the slot to help against the run, and help the linebacker unit. Either way, a defense that seemed to be running out of options suddenly has some. And with Dallas giving up a sixth-round pick in 2027, and a second-round pick in 2028, that is a fair price to pay for a top talent at corner, and some fixes for your defense. Cowboys grade: B+ Steelers grade for Joey Porter Jr. trade The decision to move Porter left inevitable over the past few weeks. But it did not have to be. When the offseason began Porter’s contract demands — he reportedly wanted a top-market deal for cornerbacks — were unlikely to be met. But that became impossible when the impasse between the two sides was overshadowed by big paydays for both Devon Witherspoon and Christian Gonzalez. Suddenly, a difficult negotiating position for general manager Omar Khan (both for a new contract for Porter, or for a trade) became that much tougher. He managed to get what he could for Porter, but one cannot help but wonder what the return could have been had this trade been made last March. Because getting a 2027 sixth-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick, hardly seems like fair value for a young cornerback who came off the board at No. 32. overall. (It is fair to mention that it made Porter a second-round pick, as the Miami Dolphins had forfeited their first-round pick that year due to violations of the league’s anti-tampering policy). At a minimum, you would think a trade last spring would see Pittsburgh get a 2027 second-round pick as part of the deal, if not a first-round pick. Conversely, the Steelers could have moved closer to Porter’s contract demands and gotten a deal done with him ahead of the Witherspoon and Gonzalez contracts, keeping a young, rising star in the fold for another few years. Instead, he is off to Dallas. By waiting, Pittsburgh was forced to take whatever they could get. Steelers grade: C+

Read it at SB Nation ↗

← Front page