The Dallas Cowboys defense needs help in the worst way. Not only have Christian Parker and a personnel overhaul this offseason not been the answers that Dallas was hoping for, but the humiliating effort from the secondary in the Week 3 loss to the Ravens in Brazil to set up Baltimore's game-winning field goal should be the final straw — and that's especially true given that the secondary was heavily depleted by injuries in the loss. Now, it might be time to make a desperation trade if you're the Cowboys.
It just so happens that the Cowboys have already inquired about a blockbuster trade, with ESPN's Adam Schefter reporting on Sunday that Dallas spoke with the Pittsburgh Steelers about disgruntled cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who seems increasingly likely to be traded. It won't be cheap, but after Jerry Jones has talked about getting aggressive and with cap space cleared, the road to a Cowboys-Steelers trade may be paved smoothly.
Cowboys-Steelers trade proposal for CB Joey Porter Jr.
The Cowboys are going to have to get creative if they want to pull off a trade of this magnitude. The Steelers have been reported to want multiple picks in the deal and, while they might not get a first-round pick in return, they could get a pair of Day 2 picks, even if those selections come across two separate drafts. But Dallas is already short on draft picks in 2027, having already traded one of two first-round picks (the more favorable) to the Jets, along with dealing their fourth- and fifth-round picks as well.
At the same time, however, the Steelers and Cowboys have been willing trade partners before — that fifth-round pick in this trade proposal is the one that was sent to Pittsburgh in the George Pickens trade, while the sixth-rounder going to the Steelers is the pick sent to Dallas in the same deal. There could be room for another deal here given that the two parties are familiar and clearly have a desire to make such a trade.
Giving up a second-round pick in 2028 is certainly a high cost for the Cowboys to pay, but you know what they say about desperate times...
Why the Cowboys need to trade for Joey Porter Jr.
The Cowboys are in a dire spot with their secondary. Cobie Durant, P.J. Locke and Malik Hooker were all inactive with injuries in Week 3, and then Dallas watched Shavon Revel Jr., Jalen Thompson and Markquese Bell all suffer injuries against the Ravens. For a unit that was trying to take a significant step forward this season, that's going to be difficult to do when you're missing that many key pieces — and it was already a unit that could use a major upgrade with someone like Porter Jr.
Jerry Jones has made it abundantly clear that he and the Cowboys organization are trying to go for it this season. That hasn't really worked out after a 1-2 start to the season, especially with those losses both coming in embarrassing fashion where the defense was a primary culprit. If the owner/general manager is serious about that, then he needs to take advantage of the contract standoff between the Steelers and Porter Jr. to get this deal done.
Yes, it's never ideal for a team to give up signficant draft capital if they aren't sure of the type of impact it can have on this team in the way of playoff hopes. At the same time, the Cowboys operate in a space of their own in that capacity, as does the Jones family. They're going to want to try and fix the persistent issues on defense and, even if it's costly, this is the most immediate path to doing that for the Dallas defensive back room.
Why the Steelers would make this trade
The Steelers and Joey Porter Jr. have been involved in some contentious negotiations about a new contract for the cornerback throughout the offseason, but that has subsided with the start of the season as Pittsburgh has an organizational policy to not negotiate contracts and extensions during the season. That hasn't stopped the drama, though, as Porter Jr. has yet to suit up for the Steelers through three games this season. After holding out, it's being reported as an undisclosed issue and a need for conditioning, but it feels like it might just come down to bad blood.
Given the fact that Pittsburgh and Porter Jr. haven't been able to come to an agreement despite his top-quality performance in his career kind of puts the writing on the wall. And with the reports suggesting that the Steelers would be willing to negotiate a trade, everything starts to add up to this being a relationship that might not last much longer.
However, this isn't a team that necessarily has to trade Porter Jr. at this point, which still gives them leverage in trade negotiations. With Aaron Rodgers in his final season, the Steelers will be entering a new frontier next offseason to try and reshape their offense and much of the roster as well. Adding two Top 100 picks would go a long way in helping them accomplish that and, given that they're already off to a 2-1 start this season without Porter Jr., an argument can be made that this trade would allow them to do so without comprimsing their chances in 2026 either.
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