Joey Porter Jr. may have a lot of football left in front of him, but his time in Pittsburgh is suddenly looking a lot less certain.
The Steelers cornerback was inactive for Sunday’s season-opening win over the Falcons because of a back injury, and even once he’s healthy, there’s still no guarantee he’ll be back in black and gold. Porter and the Steelers have not been able to work out a contract extension, and ESPN’s Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter reported that an “early-season trade is possible.”
Porter is only 26, and he still looks like the kind of defensive back who can go toe-to-toe with the league’s best receivers. That makes him a real trade chip, but Pittsburgh isn’t about to move him cheaply. According to Rapoport and Schefter, the Steelers would want a “premium draft pick” in return.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler identified five teams that could make sense if Pittsburgh decides to deal him: the Cowboys, Lions, Saints, Jets and 49ers.
Dallas stands out because the Cowboys and Steelers have already done business together recently. Fowler pointed to the relationship between the two front offices, writing, “The franchise has trade-market rapport with Pittsburgh GM Omar Khan,” and noting, “The sides have reached deals in back-to-back offseasons, as Dallas traded for wide receiver George Pickens in May 2025 and offensive tackle Broderick Jones on Aug. 29.
"Dallas did not discuss Porter with Pittsburgh at the time of the Jones trade. But that would be an easy call for the Cowboys to make if interested."
San Francisco also has a clean path to making a move. Fowler highlighted the 49ers’ financial flexibility, pointing out that they have more than $45 million in cap space.
He also said the fit on the field would be obvious, writing, “The 49ers' cornerback rotation looked stout Thursday against the Los Angeles Rams, but seasons are long and Porter would help the defense immensely. ... Porter opposite Deommodore Lenoir would form a stout 1-2 cornerback combo,” Fowler wrote.
For now, Porter is still a Steeler. But if this situation keeps trending the way it has, Pittsburgh fans could be watching him in a different uniform before long.
In Other News...
Panthers Already Sent A Harsh Message To The Bottom Of The Roster
Jimmy Horn Jr.s NFL start with the Panthers ended almost as quickly as it began. A few days after he muffed a punt in Carolinas Week 1 loss to the Bears, the rookie wide receiver was waived, a sharp reminder that early-season mistakes can carry real consequences for players trying to carve out a role on the bottom of the roster.
The move also clears the way for a receiver room that already has a different look, with Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, Brycen Tremayne and John Metchie III among the names jockeying for snaps. Horn, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, did not record a reception or rushing attempt in the opener, and now his immediate future in Carolina is very much up in the air. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Defender Sounds Alarm After Carolinas Week 1 Defensive Collapse
Jaelan Phillips did not sugarcoat what happened in Chicago. After the Panthers defense was steamrolled in a Week 1 loss to the Bears, the edge rusher called the performance embarrassing and ugly, a blunt assessment of a unit that spent the day trying to keep pace after allowing 59 points. Phillips still made his presence felt with a sack and several pressures, but the bigger takeaway was the tone he set afterward, one of urgency rather than excuses.
For Carolina, the challenge now is turning that kind of self-criticism into a reset before the problems snowball. Phillips framed the defeat as a critical moment for the defense to learn from, which is exactly the sort of message the Panthers need after a start that left little room for comfort. The talent to make plays is there, but the standard has to rise quickly if the season is going to stabilize. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers May Already Have A Future Answer For Their Secondary
The Panthers are always looking ahead in the secondary, and Georgia safety KJ Bolden is already the kind of name that fits that kind of long-range planning. A rising prospect with first-round buzz, Bolden has drawn attention for the combination of athletic traits and coverage upside that makes him one of the more interesting defensive players in the college game, especially for a Carolina roster that could use more talent and flexibility on the back end.
Bolden is still early in his college journey, but the appeal is pretty clear: he has the kind of range and versatility that can help a defense handle modern passing games, along with the developmental runway teams crave when they are trying to build a secondary for the future. The Panthers are not shopping for answers in next spring's draft here, but if Bolden keeps trending the way evaluators expect, he is the sort of player who could eventually make Carolinas attention feel less like speculation and more like a head start. [Read more 🡒]