The Washington Commanders needed help at cornerback, and Joey Porter Jr. looked like the kind of move that could have solved part of the problem. Some fans wanted the team to jump in while Porter was tied up in a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers. General manager Adam Peters passed.
Now the Commanders have to live with the other side of that decision: Porter is headed to the Dallas Cowboys, and Washington will see him twice a year.
The Steelers sent Porter to Dallas in a late-night trade for a sixth-round pick in 2027 and a second-rounder in 2028. Given Porter’s talent, that price looks manageable for a Cowboys team clearly trying to fix its defense in a hurry.
For Washington, the timing stings. The Commanders have gotten more than expected from Amik Robertson, and Trey Amos remains a player everyone is waiting on after landing on injured reserve.
Beyond that, the cornerback picture is shaky. Rasul Douglas played well in Week 3 after seeing more snaps, especially with Mike Sainristil sliding in alarming fashion.
That’s why Porter was so tempting. He would have given Washington a long-term answer, not just another stopgap. At the cost Dallas paid, the trade feels like the kind of swing the Commanders could have justified.
The Cowboys are not pretending to be patient. They want to win now, and Porter gives them a real boost even if he does not fix everything - especially not their bad run defense. Still, if he performs the way people expect, a Day 3 pick and a second-rounder two years from now will not feel like much.
Peters, on the other hand, has been gathering draft capital after making several trades last year. That approach makes sense, but it also comes with a question that now hangs over this one: is a 2028 second-round pick really going to turn into a player better than Porter?
Probably not.
Money may have been the bigger issue for Washington anyway. Porter is in the final year of his deal, and the Steelers do not negotiate with players in season.
They chose to move him instead. Dallas now inherits a more complicated financial picture, because George Pickens - another former Steeler - is also in line for a payday after this season on the franchise tag.
That kind of bill may have pushed Washington away from the deal. Peters has already acknowledged that the club is saving money this year because of upcoming contract decisions for some of its top players, and adding Porter would have meant another major commitment.
Even so, it’s easy to see why the decision frustrates the Commanders’ side. Dallas had no hesitation about loading up.
Amos should eventually change the look of the group, but he has already missed a lot of time, and there is no guarantee he will be ready to start when he is designated to return. Robertson has been one of the league’s most productive corners through three weeks, but the bigger question is whether he can keep that pace over a full 17-game season.
After that, the options thin out fast. Douglas and Fabian Moreau are both on one-year deals. Sainristil has looked like a lost cause, and the 2024 second-round pick’s future suddenly feels very unsettled as his role and trust have faded.
Porter would have altered that entire conversation. Peters simply decided the price - financial and otherwise - was too steep.
In Other News...
Commanders Suddenly Have A Bigger QB Question Than They Wanted
Marcus Mariotas relief turn against the Seahawks did more than steady the Commanders for a week. It also put him in the same conversation Jayden Daniels had been owning all season, as Mariota was voted FedEx Air Player of the Week after stepping in for the injured rookie and helping keep Washington on track.
Mariota completed 19 passes for 183 yards and 3 touchdowns with a 110.0 passer rating, and he even added a key rushing first down late in the game. Daniels had already won the same award three times during his rookie season, which is what makes this latest honor feel a little more complicated for Washington as it waits to see how the quarterback picture settles going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders May Have Found The Protection Answer Jayden Daniels Needed
Against a tough Seattle front, the Commanders offensive line turned in one of its more encouraging outings of the season, keeping Jayden Daniels upright and giving the offense a fighting chance. Washington allowed only two sacks and handled the pass rush well enough that the game never felt like it was slipping away because of protection issues, which has been a real concern at times this year.
The improvement came from a mix of schematic tweaks and cleaner individual work up front, and that combination mattered against a defense built to punish mistakes. For a team trying to maximize Daniels impact, Sunday offered at least a glimpse of a more workable formula, even if the bigger question is whether Washington can make that level of protection hold up once opponents have more film on it. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Daniels Injury Outlook Just Became A Real Commanders Concern
Jayden Daniels has been working through another layer of discomfort as Washington prepares for the Colts, practicing with a large brace on his left arm to guard against further elbow dislocations after injuries last year and again earlier this season. The Commanders quarterback has opted to put surgery off until after the season, if he needs it at all, and his availability for Sunday remains part of the weekly uncertainty around a team trying to keep its season on track.
Daniels said the brace does limit his range of motion, but not his throwing motion, which leaves Washington in the familiar spot of balancing caution with urgency. He is taking things day by day, and for a Commanders team already watching closely, his status against Indianapolis now looms as one of the more important storylines of the week. [Read more 🡒]