The Cam Jurgens trade only made the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr. deal look rougher.
What had already felt like a thin return for Porter now looks even lighter after the Philadelphia Eagles sent Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens. The move came less than 24 hours after Eagles Pro Bowl offensive tackle Lane Johnson posted a shocking retirement announcement on social media, and it gave Baltimore a needed answer at center after losing Tyler Linderbaum in free agency and then watching three offensive linemen go down with early-season injuries.
It also cost the Ravens plenty. ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported that Baltimore sent the Eagles a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick, while Philadelphia also included a 2027 seventh-rounder in the deal.
That price tag is exactly why Steelers fans are seeing red. How does an average center/guard bring back nearly the same kind of return as a shutdown man-coverage cornerback?
Jurgens has been a solid NFL player over his first four seasons, but he has never been viewed as elite at guard or center. His path has even drawn a comparison to Steelers offensive lineman Brock Hoffman, an undersized interior lineman with guard/center versatility who has developed into a dependable starter when needed.
This season, though, Jurgens has been a mess. Through four games in 2026, while playing guard, he owns a 38.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranks 73rd among 74 qualifying guards. His 31.7 pass-block grade has been even worse, and he has already given up a sack and 12 pressures in just four starts.
Really? This is the guy who just got traded for almost the exact same package that the Steelers received for Joey Porter Jr.?
That’s the part that stings for Pittsburgh. Porter and Jurgens are on different sides of the ball and play different positions, but Porter is the far more valuable player - and the rarer one. Good press-man corners do not grow on trees, and Porter is one of the few who can do it.
If the Jurgens deal had happened before Khan moved Porter, it’s hard to imagine the Steelers would have been comfortable with that same compensation. Instead, the Cowboys came away with what now looks like a bargain, much like they did a year earlier in the George Pickens deal.
There is at least some logic on Baltimore’s side. The Ravens were desperate for help, Jurgens is on an affordable deal, and the Eagles absorbed $17 million in deal money to get it done. But the bottom line is hard to miss: Philadelphia got more than it should have for a 27-year-old veteran lineman, and the Steelers’ Porter return looks worse because of it.
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