The Dallas Cowboys traded with the Pittsburgh Steelers for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. on Thursday. The question that arose after the trade, though, is whether or not Porter would be healthy to play for the Cowboys in Week 4 versus the Houston Texans. Porter has yet to make his 2026 season debut as he's been sidelined with a back injury.
He missed training camp and the first three games of the season with the Steelers. However, Porter was also in the midst of a contract dispute with Pittsburgh after a disagreement about guaranteed money. ESPN's Ed Werder reported on Thursday that Porter was OK with playing in Dallas without a contract extension "because the Cowboys are the team he most wanted to play for." When speaking with Dallas media for the first time on Thursday, Porter said his back is "feeling better," but he didn't commit to playing on Sunday.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer also sounded hopeful for Porter to start on Sunday, but he didn't give him an official designation. "We'd like him to play, but we'll see how the week goes. I think he's excited about the opportunity to maybe play, but we'll see how the rest of the week goes," Schottenheimer said.
"But it was a good start today." It's definitely interesting timing that Porter quickly feels ready to play after landing with a new team. Especially since on Wednesday, one day before the trade, the Steelers ruled Porter out for their "Thursday Night Football" contest versus the Cleveland Browns. Pittsburgh coach Mike McCarthy was originally hopeful Porter would start in Week 4 after participating in a limited capacity at practice this week.
But, his lingering back issue caused a problem on Wednesday to rule him out. Granted, Porter now has three extra days to prepare to play since the Cowboys don't play until Sunday. But, it would be a quick and suspicious turnaround if the cornerback is ready to play this week.
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