Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is carrying an ankle issue into Sunday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, and his status remains up in the air. Porter was limited on Wednesday, practiced in full on Thursday and then went back to limited work Friday, per the Cowboys’ final injury report.
Ed Werder of WFAA reported Saturday that Porter rolled his ankle in practice this week. According to a source who spoke to Werder, Porter wants to play and the injury has nothing to do with his contract situation.
Dallas has already seen Porter in uniform once. The club acquired him from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 1, sending Pittsburgh a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick, the team announced.
Porter had been inactive for Pittsburgh’s first three games because of a back issue while the two sides were at odds on a contract extension. The 26-year-old is in the last season of his rookie deal.
He debuted for Dallas in the 34-30 win at Houston on Oct. 4, then sat out the Cowboys’ 24-16 loss at home to Tampa Bay four days later because of an illness.
The Steelers made Porter the 32nd pick in the 2023 draft out of Penn State. AP data says his 31 pass breakups across his first three seasons ranked among the NFL’s top 20. He is also the son of former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter Sr.
Dallas executive vice president Stephen Jones pushed back on the idea of any hold-in Friday on 105.3 The Fan. The Cowboys do not intend to work on an extension with Porter during the season.
“Oh, absolutely, I think he’s all in,” Jones said, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “He wants to be out there.
He was sick [in Week 5 against the Bucs]. He couldn’t play last week with the flu.
But he obviously played in our [Week 4 game against the Texans], and I think he’s fired up about what he can do to help us win against the Packers.”
Porter told reporters earlier in the week that he expects to have a full-time role against Green Bay, according to ProFootballTalk.
Behind him, the Cowboys’ cornerback depth is thin. Cobie Durant is out after missing every practice this week with a hamstring injury. Ameer Speed is questionable after limited work on Thursday and Friday because of a knee injury, while Shavon Revel Jr. practiced fully all week despite a knee issue.
Dallas enters the matchup having allowed the league’s worst opponents’ passer rating through five games at 120.5, according to Field Level Media. That puts a spotlight on Jordan Love and the Packers’ passing game heading into kickoff.
Inactive lists are due 90 minutes before the 7:20 p.m. CT start.
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