The Cowboys have gone all in again, and the Eagles are the team watching this one closest.
Dallas is finalizing a trade for Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., according to The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero. ESPN’s Jane Slater reported the Cowboys will send a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick to Pittsburgh in the deal.
It’s a clear win-now swing for a team trying to patch up a shaky secondary and climb back into the NFC race. Porter, the former Penn State standout, gives Dallas a proven young corner with real upside. He was the 2023 second-round pick and has already built a strong reputation as one of the league’s better young defensive backs.
The move also comes with a catch: there’s no guarantee Porter will sign a new contract with Dallas. The trade follows a failed extension effort between Porter and the Steelers, and his future beyond this season remains unsettled.
Porter did not play in Pittsburgh’s first three games of the 2026 season, and he had been listed on the injury report because of a back injury. Still, the contract standoff appears to have been part of the picture as well.
In three seasons with the Steelers, Porter piled up 165 tackles, 31 passes defended and three interceptions.
For Dallas, the timing says plenty. The Cowboys are 1-2 after a brutal Week 3 loss to the Ravens, one that ended with Baltimore hitting a game-winning 56-yard field goal after Dallas allowed a 27-yard catch with seconds left.
Earlier this week, the Cowboys had already tried to patch the secondary by making minor practice squad additions at defensive back. Porter is a much bigger statement than that.
He’ll also land in a familiar coaching orbit. Dallas first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker, who coached defensive backs for the Eagles, will be the one working with him.
Jerry Jones has made this kind of move before. The Cowboys traded for All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams before last season’s deadline in another attempt to push toward a Super Bowl run.
Porter doesn’t solve everything, though. Dallas still has the NFL’s second-worst run defense, giving up 539 rushing yards through three games. But the trade does give the Cowboys another major piece as they try to chase down the Eagles for a third straight NFC East title and the automatic playoff berth that comes with it.
And the schedule makes the stakes obvious. The Eagles go to Dallas for a Thanksgiving matchup.
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