Cowboys already won 2026 NFL trade deadline with Joey Porter Jr. trade

FRISCO, Texas -- The 2026 NFL trade deadline isn't until Nov. 10, but the Dallas Cowboys can already claim to be one of the league's victors thanks to their acquisition of cornerback Joey Porter Jr.

Dallas traded a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the middle of the night between Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 after contract talks fell apart between the 26-year-old cornerback and Pittsburgh. The Cowboys knew they had to do something after a 1-2 start to their 2026, and the trade for Porter Jr. has gone exactly how owner and general manager Jerry Jones could have hoped for. 

Porter Jr. profiles as the NFL's No. 1 cornerback in his three games with Dallas this season. Entering Week 8, Porter Jr. ranks first in the NFL in completion percentage allowed (18.2%), passing yards allowed (10) and pass yards per attempt allowed (0.9) among the 254 players with at least 10 passes thrown their way.  

The Houston Texans didn't throw toward him once on his 19 coverage snaps in the Cowboys' 34-30 road win. He then missed "Thursday Night Football" in Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a game Dallas lost 24-16, because of a stomach bug. Porter Jr. returned to face the Green Bay Packers on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 6, and he didn't allow a catch on the five times Jordan Love threw his way on his 25 coverage snaps in a 23-13 defeat. On "Monday Night Football" against the Philadelphia Eagles, he allowed his first two catches of the year for a total of 10 yards on the six times quarterback Tanner McKee threw Porter Jr.'s way on his 30 coverage snaps. 

"I love it man. I love it when we have a player like that who you can just throw on anybody's top guy, and then just say 'if you're going to beat us, beat us with that guy on him.' Lately, he's done a great job," Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said after practice on Thursday. "I don't think he's had a completion on him yet. I don't know the facts behind that, but just off what I've seen, when the ball is thrown his way, it somehow ends up on the ground. Soon enough it's going to be in his hands."

Porter Jr. knows exactly how many completions he has surrendered this season: two. Both of them were against the Eagles in Week 7. The first was a five-yard gain to Philadelphia tight end Dallas Goedert for five yards on a third-and-6, and the second one was a five-yard gain to Eagles first-round rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon on a second-and-20. He is still seething about both of those completions even though it's past the "24-hour rule" NFL players will cite as the amount of time they have to process the previous week's game before moving on to prepare for the upcoming week's game. 

"Two little 5-yard outs or whatever. I was pissed about it. … As a DB, you never want to give up anything," Porter Jr. said after practice on Wednesday. "I really hold myself to a high standard when I'm on the field. I definitely don't want to give up any passes to anybody I don't think I should be giving up passes to."   

* Stats via TruMedia

Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker knows he'll soon be talking to Porter Jr. about teams simply deciding to avoid throwing his way for the vast majority of Dallas' games. It's a talk he's had to have with the likes of All-Pro corners he has coached in previous stops like Denver Broncos 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II and Philadelphia Eagles 2025 first-team All-Pro Quinyon Mitchell. 

"I've coached guys where it gets to that point, but then you're going to play certain teams who have a receiver where they don't care if Deion [Sanders] came out of retirement to go cover him," Parker said on Thursday. ... "So he knows that because as soon as you're playing in that way, and you think that you're not getting those targets, you're getting those targets. And so you have to stay aggressive, you have to stay dominant, your technique has to be perfect every play. Corner is one of those positions where you could have 99 perfect snaps, and that one could cost us. So that focus level and that intensity has to remain, and he's [Porter Jr.] done a good job of maintaining that." 

Whether it's erasing a top-flight wide receiver from the game through teams deciding not to throw at him or having a flurry of action come his way, Porter Jr. has fun because he knows his opponent isn't. He had chances to defend Packers wide receiver Christian Watson, who ranks seventh in the NFL with 595 receiving yards, and Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden, who ranks 10th in the NFL with 512 receiving yards, and he didn't allow a catch on five targets. That's the most fun he's had this season. 

"That's my whole job. I get any type of satisfaction when I get the opponent upset or whatever they're going through," Porter Jr. said. ... "It's both. I enjoy when I get games where they try me like the Packers game. I had fun because I got a lot of targets. I don't really get that often. So when you're in the kitchen and in the fire like that, it's kind of fun to show off your talents."  

Hearing Porter Jr. talk like that and seeing him trash talk opponents' top receivers on the field is quite the juxtaposition from his off-field persona. In the locker room, Porter Jr. maintains a low profile while opening up to his new teammates. Joey Porter, Porter Jr.'s father, who was a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker and member of the 2000s All-Decade team, was known for his fiery on-field demeanor. Porter Jr. channels his dad on the field but enjoys relaxing off of it. 

"Ever since I was a kid, it's been that comparison. I'm like my mom on the outside, but when I get on the field, I'm kind of like my dad," Porter Jr. said. "I'm cool, calm and collected for the most part, but when I'm on the field, I turn it on a little bit to try to be an energizer and be there for teammates as much as possible."

The Cowboys are already enjoying Porter Jr.'s desire to "run to the smoke" on the field while bolstering what has been an up-and-down pass defense in 2026. 

"I think you watch him from afar. I think his personality, he's a real laid-back dude, but on the field when he crosses those white lines, he runs to the smoke," Parker said. "So that's what we value with him is he has an energy about himself. He affects others with his energy and his play. Then off the field, he's very kind of low-key, but when he steps on the field, he turns into a different person."    

Dallas four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has already noticed a dramatic uptick in his performance since Porter Jr's in-season arrival. Williams leads all NFL defensive tackles in tackles for loss with nine in 2026, and seven of the nine have come since Porter Jr's Cowboys debut in Week 4. The Cowboys have also allowed under 24 points in three straight games, something they didn't do in either of the two prior seasons. 

"He's a baller. I joke with him and tell him all the time 'I've been playing better since he got here, so he's the reason I've been playing better,'" Williams said after practice on Thursday. "He's a baller man. He brought energy. He brought swag. Just the confidence he has when he is on an island by himself is unbelievable man. The player that he is is great to have on our team."

The scariest part of the NFC East and the rest of the Cowboys' opponents is that Porter Jr. produced like the league's top cornerback while still learning both Dallas' playbook and his teammates. Now, his new-team adjustment period is over from a schematic perspective, meaning Porter Jr. could be even better going forward. For the cost of what's essentially a third-round pick (the sixth-round pick in 2027 and the second-round pick in 2028), Jones gave his team an All-Pro-caliber, No. 1 cornerback. That makes the Cowboys the 2026 NFL trade deadline's undisputed winner with a couple of weeks to go. 

"I wouldn't say I'm going through the growing pains anymore. I think it's my third or fourth week out here now. It's been pretty good so far," Porter Jr. said. "Still getting to know the guys. They've been embracing me this whole time since I've been here, even the coaching staff. So far, it's been a great experience all around."