Joey Porter Jr. is a Dallas Cowboy, and of course he is

Joey Porter Jr. is a Dallas Cowboy, and of course he is

By: Wilson Simons

Update: The Steelers received a 2028 1st round pick, not 2027 like I assumed, My thoughts on that will be below this initial article.

    The Steelers have traded Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys. Tom Pelissero reported late Wednesday that the two teams were finalizing the deal, and Ari Meirov reported that Pittsburgh's return is a package that includes a second-round pick. The rest of the package hasn't been reported yet, so I'm reserving a little bit of hope that "and more" means something real.

    If you've been following this saga, the destination isn't a surprise. It's practically tradition. George Pickens went to Dallas. Broderick Jones went to Dallas. Mike McCarthy came from Dallas. The Khan-Jones pipeline is the busiest trade route in the NFL, and it only runs one way: Pittsburgh's talent heads south, and Pittsburgh fans head to therapy.

    Porter never played a snap for the Steelers in 2026. He missed training camp with a back injury that lined up almost perfectly with his contract standoff, a stretch McCarthy called an "impasse" back in August. He missed the first three games. Last week, he said he never asked for a trade and would "definitely" play for Pittsburgh this season. Then this week, he was a full participant in practice for the first time all year. I wrote two days ago that it was either a sign he was ready to play or the Steelers showing the league their trade chip was healthy. We have our answer.

    Now, the part that might actually matter: that second-round pick.

    The Steelers need a franchise quarterback. Aaron Rodgers turned back the clock against Cincinnati, but he's a one-year bridge, not a plan. Extra draft capital is exactly what you need to move up in April, and a second-rounder is real ammunition.

    The problem is where Pittsburgh starts from. The Steelers haven't picked in the top 10 based on their own record since 2000, when they took Plaxico Burress eighth overall. The only top-10 pick since then was Devin Bush in 2019, and they had to trade up to get him. How'd that work out? This franchise doesn't bottom out, which is great for the standings and terrible for finding a quarterback. Franchise QBs go early now, and if the Steelers want one, they'll have to pay to climb. This trade gives them a little more to pay with. Whether they actually use it that way is another question.

    Pittsburgh spent more than a decade looking for a true No. 1 corner it drafted and developed itself. It finally found one in Porter: a 6-foot-2 press corner who can match up with elite receivers. Instead of paying him, the Steelers shipped him to the same team that took Pickens. Porter wanted roughly $30 million a year, and Pittsburgh was never going to pay a second-round pick with no Pro Bowls at the top of the cornerback market. I understand the business logic. I just hate where it leaves them.

    Look at what's left. Asante Samuel Jr. was in coverage on Ja'Marr Chase's touchdown on Sunday, and Tee Higgins boxed him out for another score before halftime. Jamel Dean turns 30 in two weeks and is dealing with an ankle injury. Jalen Ramsey is playing through a broken wrist. Brandin Echols is in the concussion protocol, and DeShon Elliott is on injured reserve. Rookie Daylen Everette had a nice pass breakup against Cincinnati, but he's a rookie.

    The Steelers have to rebuild that cornerback room from scratch, and they're starting tomorrow night in Cleveland on a short week.

    I'll give Khan this much: getting a second-round pick plus more for a guy who sat out three games and was heading to free agency in March beats letting him walk for a compensatory pick. If the unknown piece turns out to be meaningful, this might age fine.

    But this franchise drafted Porter, developed him, watched him hold out, and traded him to Jerry Jones. At some point, "the Steelers don't pay their own guys" stops being a fan complaint and becomes the franchise's identity.

    I said it in August, and I'll say it again now: Jerry, please stop calling.

UPDATE (11:05 p.m. CT): The second-round pick Pittsburgh got back is a 2028 second-rounder, not 2027.

    That changes everything I wrote above about the quarterback search. A 2028 pick can't be used on anyone this April. Khan could still package it in a trade-up, since teams deal future picks all the time, but front offices value them at roughly a round less than the real thing. In trade talks, a 2028 second is closer to a 2027 third. That isn't the kind of ammunition that gets a team that never picks in the top 10 up the board for a franchise quarterback.

    So here's the final tally: the Steelers traded a 26-year-old No. 1 cornerback, the one they'd spent more than a decade trying to find, to Jerry Jones, for a pick two drafts away and whatever "more" turns out to mean. Pickens to Dallas. Broderick Jones to Dallas. Porter to Dallas.

    I wanted to give Khan the benefit of the doubt. A pick in 2028 isn't much of a defense.

    Omar Khan, pack your bags. It's over.