The Cowboys desperately needed corner help for a defense that has floundered despite the offseason upgrades. I’ll credit Jerry Jones for not sitting on his hands, instead doing what we have been asking general managers to do for years: Be bold, make moves, and don’t overvalue your own picks during a season. We won’t know if the trade pays off in the long term, but the Cowboys certainly improved in 2026.
At his peak, Porter is a physical cover man who can be sticky on the outside and mirror top receivers. He’ll slide well into Christian Parker’s scheme, allowing Dallas to play man coverage on the outside with more physicality than in the first three weeks. Sure, he racks up some penalties, but so do most CBs. You’ll live with the trade-off for a corner with JPJ’s skill set.
That Dallas didn’t have to give up a premier pick until 2028 also improved its grade. Assuming that Porter plays, the Cowboys get a top-shelf CB for a relatively cheap up-front cost. Jones seems to be hoping he can copy the success he had with the George Pickens trade, pushing off the long-term talks until down the road. It’s a needle-threading but one that could work. If Porter plays well, Dallas could extend him in the offseason, use the franchise tag on the CB, or let him walk and recoup a potential third-round compensatory pick in 2028. Possibly moving down one round in ’28 and giving up a sixth-rounder for a potential Pro Bowl player in a year when you’re all in is a stellar move. If Porter delivers 14 games of high-level play, it’s worth it.
Of course, if Porter gets hurt or implodes, this all goes for naught. However, if he continues on this track, it is a short-term win for the Cowboys. The long-term question can be shelved.
I don’t fault the Steelers for not wanting to pay Porter top-CB money. If he were seeking a $30-million-type deal in line with Christian Gonzalez or Devon Witherspoon, I would have balked too. JPJ is good. He’s not at that level. Trading him away relieved Pittsburgh of that problem.
The issue I have is that it appears Steelers GM Omar Khan either overplayed his hand or didn’t anticipate Porter’s gumption when it came to a new deal. If Khan had never planned to meet the corner’s contract demands, he should have made a move in the spring or early summer. A player of Porter’s caliber is worth more than a second-round pick two drafts down the road. The timing of the impasse reduced the compensation.
Now the Steelers are without a top corner and find themselves thin and young at the position. Not a good combo!
If things spiral in Pittsburgh, it’s fair to wonder if Khan will even be around to make that second-round pick in 2028. The GM took over in 2022 and received early praise for fleecing the Bears in the Chase Claypool trade that brought back a second-rounder. That pick became Porter. Khan has now moved him for pennies on the dollar. Add in a string of so-so drafts, the Pickens trade and other questionable moves, and the seat in Pittsburgh could get hot for Khan if the Steelers flounder.