The Cowboys have decided to swing big again, and the ripple effect lands squarely in Philadelphia.
Dallas is finalizing a trade for Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., according to The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero, with ESPN’s Jane Slater reporting the price as a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick going to Pittsburgh. The move gives the Eagles’ biggest division threat a major secondary upgrade as the NFC East race tightens.
Porter’s arrival comes after he and the Steelers couldn’t work out a new extension, and there’s no guarantee he lands a fresh deal in Dallas. Still, the Cowboys are betting on the 2023 second-round pick as a fix for a defense that has needed help on the back end. Porter, the former Penn State standout, has already built a reputation as one of the league’s top young corners.
He missed Pittsburgh’s first three games of the 2026 season while dealing with a back injury, though his contract situation also appears to have played a part in the holdout. In three seasons with the Steelers, Porter put 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, when they allowed a 27-yard catch in the final seconds and then watched Baltimore drill a game-winning 56-yard field goal.
Earlier this week, they had already made a handful of smaller moves to patch up the secondary by signing defensive backs to the practice squad. This one is on a different level.
It’s also very much in character for Jerry Jones. Last season, Dallas made a splashy in-season move for All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams as it tried to chase a title.
That said, Porter doesn’t solve everything. The Cowboys still have the second-worst run defense in the NFL, giving up 539 rushing yards through three games.
So the question now is simple: is Porter enough to lift Dallas past Philadelphia in the NFC race? The Eagles will get a direct answer when they head to Dallas for a Thanksgiving matchup.
In Other News...
Virginia Brings Back Solomon Beebe With One Big Issue Still Lingering
Virginia football has reinstated running back Solomon Beebe after a legal development in Albemarle County General District Court, where two of the three animal cruelty charges filed against him in August were dismissed. The school confirmed the move in a statement to The Daily Progress, bringing Beebe back into the program after a turbulent stretch that had kept his situation unsettled for weeks.
The timing still matters for Virginia, which has had to navigate the running backs absence during the first part of the season while the case played out. Beebe is now back with the Cavaliers, but the episode is not entirely behind the team yet, and the remaining legal issue leaves one more layer of uncertainty hanging over a player whose status has already shifted once. [Read more 🡒]
Davis Warren Is Rising Fast As Stanford Faces A Real Week 5 Test
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Virginias own offense got a major boost in its 42-3 rout of Delaware, and the Cavaliers now turn the page to a much tougher task. ACC road play opens at Florida State on Saturday afternoon, which should provide a far clearer read on how far this group has come and whether the early promise can carry into a more demanding stage. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Faces An Early Road Test That Could Shape Everything
Virginia heads into its first true road game of the season with a chance to show that its early success can travel. The Cavaliers have been solid at home, and the matchup with Florida State gives them another test against a familiar opponent after handling the Seminoles well in recent meetings. Beau Pribula and Kam Robinson are both expected to be important pieces in a game that asks Virginia to keep its edge away from Charlottesville.
The bigger issue is whether the defense can look different from Virginias lone away outing so far, when that side of the ball did not hold up the way it has at home. Robinsons return from the ACL tear that ended his 2025 season last November adds another layer to the night, since Virginia is still easing him back into a meaningful role while trying to stabilize the defense. If the Cavaliers can get through this one, the road path ahead starts to look a lot less uncertain. [Read more 🡒]