Cowboys land Joey Porter Jr. from Steelers; many in NFL call the price steep

Dallas sent a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-rounder to Pittsburgh for the cornerback, and league reaction gathered by The Athletic says the Cowboys overpaid.

The Dallas Cowboys have acquired cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers in a trade completed ahead of Week 4. Dallas sits at 1-2 and made the move while trying to avoid a 1-3 start, a record that would put the team's 2026 playoff hopes in serious jeopardy. To complete the deal, the Cowboys sent a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick to Pittsburgh.

The draft capital involved makes it an aggressive move for Jerry Jones and the Dallas front office, with the future second-rounder carrying most of the weight in the price tag. In Porter, the Cowboys have added a cornerback viewed as a quality player who should provide meaningful help to their defense this season.

The reception across the league has been far less enthusiastic. Jonathan Jones of The Athletic gathered reactions from around the NFL and reported that many in the sport believe Dallas overpaid. According to his reporting, that judgment rests largely on the view that teams do not consider Porter among the top corners in the league.

That assessment echoes reporting that circulated before the trade was announced. There had already been indications that teams did not see Porter as a player worth the money paid to the elite at his position. While cornerbacks at the top of the market have been landing deals worth $30 million or more per year, some teams around the NFL see Porter in a tier below that.

The agreement carries risk beyond the draft compensation as well. Porter is potentially a rental, since the Cowboys might not be able to re-sign him before he reaches the open market. Giving up a second-round pick and a sixth-round pick for a player who could leave after the season is a substantial commitment.

If Porter does depart in free agency, Dallas would have a partial offset. The Cowboys would be in line to receive a third-round compensatory pick, a selection that should not land too far from where their 2028 second-rounder winds up once next season's draft order is set. That would soften the loss of the original pick if Porter signs elsewhere.

The skepticism extends into front offices. According to Jones, one executive whose team had been incorrectly linked to a Porter trade this season said of the Cowboys: 'They were bidding against themselves for Porter.' The remark points to a belief that Dallas did not need to give up such strong draft capital to get a deal done with Pittsburgh.

The trade arrives at a critical point in the Cowboys' season. At 1-2 and trying to avoid a 1-3 start that would threaten their standing in the playoff picture, Dallas now has a cornerback it believes can strengthen its defense for the remainder of 2026. Whether the price proves worth it is the question many around the league are already raising.