The Dallas Cowboys’ secondary has been ravaged by injuries throughout the first three weeks of the regular season, with three starters and two key contributors sidelined for multiple weeks.
Among the injured defensive backs are safeties Jalen Thomas, Malik Hooker, and P.J. Locke, along with cornerbacks Cobie Durant and Shavon Revel Jr.
With so many injuries plaguing the Cowboys’ secondary, it should come as no surprise that the team is looking to add depth and improve. One name that continues to pop up is someone who has been linked to the team since the 2023 draft. Enter Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
The Cowboys and Steelers have become familiar with each other over the past year, with Dallas acquiring George Pickens and Broderick Jones, while Pittsburgh hired former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and signed several of his former players from his Dallas tenure.
But could the two sides work out another deal?
Reports surfaced over the weekend that the Cowboys have inquired about a trade for Porter, and on Tuesday, owner and general manager Jerry Jones confirmed that there were “conversations ongoing” to potentially upgrade the roster, but he stopped short of specifically mentioning Porter to avoid any tampering.
Leading up to the 2026-27 campaign, Jones was clear that he would consider swinging a trade for a “substantive player” who could improve the roster, Porter would definitely fit that bill, and it comes at a major area of need.
There would be some potential hurdles, though, because the Steelers would like at least a premium draft pick in return. Currently, the Cowboys only own the lowest of their two first-round picks (the higher goes to the New York Jets as part of the Quinnen Williams trade last season), their own second-round pick, a fourth-round pick from the Steelers, a sixth-round pick, and a seventh-round pick from the Houston Texans.
If the Steelers would accept a second-rounder in 2027 and another Day 2 pick in 2028, that would be an intriguing deal, but it doesn’t seem like anything is imminent. NFL insider Josina Anderson explained as much in her recent post on Substack, revealing that the two sides seem to differ on the right compensation.
“The Cowboys are definitely interested but the two sides have their thresholds on compensation values for a transaction and right now “it doesn’t match,'” she wrote.
That could all change in the coming weeks if the Cowboys get desperate enough and the injuries continue to pile up leading up to the NFL trade deadline, but ultimately, it seems like the deal is nothing more than a pipe dream for Cowboys Nation right now, and that’s all too familiar in the wake of recent speculation including the likes of Maxx Crosby.
But if there’s one thing a Cowboys fan is going to do, it’s dream.
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