Cowboys acquiring cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Steelers for 2 draft picks, AP sources say
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. They also signed three defensive backs to their practice squad.
Safety P.J. Locke (torn plantar fascia) was already on injured reserve. Both were offseason acquisitions by the Cowboys as a part of retooling the secondary.
Pittsburgh before last season traded receiver George Pickens to Dallas for draft picks. He made the Pro Bowl in his 2025 debut with the Cowboys, setting career highs with 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns.
Pickens, playing this season on a $27.3 million franchise tag, has 16 catches for 150 yards without a score.
The Steelers took Pickens out of Georgia in the second round of the 2022 draft. 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.
___
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
© Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
