Cowboys acquiring cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Steelers for 2 draft picks, AP sources say

Oct 1, 2026

The Dallas Cowboys are acquiring disgruntled cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers, two people with knowledge of the deal tell The Associated Press

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 contract stalemate with Steelers management over a new deal.

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 the rookie agreement.

The Cowboys are getting Porter after earlier Wednesday putting safety Jalen Thompson (hamstring) on injured reserve with a designation to return earlier Wednesday. They also signed three defensive backs to their practice squad.

Dallas was already missing safety P.J. Locke (torn plantar fascia), who is also on injured reserve. Both were offseason acquisitions as a part of retooling the secondary.

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