The early read on Joey Porter Jr. in Dallas is encouraging for the Cowboys.
After arriving from Pittsburgh, the cornerback is apparently fine with finishing out his current contract, which is a much different posture than the one that pushed him out of Steelers territory in the first place. Whatever was happening behind the scenes in Pittsburgh isn’t clear, but the key point for Dallas is simple: Porter doesn’t seem to be demanding a new deal right away.
That matters because there had been some concern that the Cowboys would be walking into a negotiation headache the moment the trade was done. Instead, the latest reporting suggests the opposite. One writer who dug into Porter’s contract situation called the development “good news” for Dallas, noting that the real issue wasn’t necessarily the number itself.
“This does count as good news for the Cowboys, because there was a widespread assumption floating in NFL circles that the problem for Porter would be that he is asking too much, contract-wise, of the team. But a deal starting at $28 million is right in line with Porter’s market value, which is reported at $27.4 million per year per Spotrac.
“The issue was not the up-front price, but the length of the team and the security that would bring. That’s promising for the Cowboys if they decided they want to keep Porter,” Sean Deveney wrote.
A price tag a little under $30 million a year would land in the neighborhood of the cornerback market, and that appears to be the lane Dallas is operating in. Porter may not yet have the resume of some of the league’s top-paid corners, but the reporting suggests he’s already in that ballpark.
In Other News...
Missing Steelers Fan Case In Cleveland Just Took A Disturbing Turn
A trip to Cleveland for a football game has turned into a search that now carries real weight. Phoenix Phillips, a 24-year-old from Maryland, was last seen downtown after attending the game, and police have said his disappearance is concerning. His phone was found, adding to the unease around a case that has quickly moved beyond a simple missing-person report.
Authorities have also recovered an unidentified body near the area where Phillips was last known to be, though they have not confirmed any connection. The investigation remains active, and online chatter has added another layer of noise around Phillips, with unverified allegations tying him to unauthorized trading and scamming. For now, though, the only thing that matters is the unanswered question of what happened after he left the game. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers LB Cole Holcomb Shares A Feel Good Life Update
For a Steelers defense still trying to settle in through a 2-2 start, Cole Holcomb has had a more personal milestone to celebrate away from the field. Holcomb and his wife, Casey, welcomed their second child this week, a baby boy named Drew Jarrett, or DJ, adding a bright spot to a season that has already had its share of on-field grind for the veteran inside linebacker.
Holcomb has continued to be part of Pittsburghs mix in the middle of the defense, even as the early weeks have brought a little bit of everything, including an NFL fine for a blindside block on a special teams play in Week 3. The newborn news, though, is the kind of update that can reset a players week in a hurry, and it gives Holcomb and his family a memorable moment as the Steelers move deeper into the season. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Queen Is Forcing A Steelers Decision They Cant Delay
Patrick Queen arrived in Pittsburgh with expectations of becoming a stabilizing force in the middle of the defense, but the early returns have left the Steelers with a harder question than they probably expected to face this soon. His impact has been muted, his Pro Football Focus grades have remained low, and the issues showed up again in Week 4 against the Browns, when he was around the ball far too little for a linebacker with his workload.
The bigger concern for the Steelers is not just one rough outing, but a pattern that suggests the current setup is not getting the most out of him or the defense around him. Missed tackles and receivers slipping free have added up, and the team may have to decide whether a reduced snap count or a different assignment is the best way to stop the bleed before the problem becomes even harder to fix. [Read more 🡒]