New acquisition Joey Porter Jr. prepares for a potential Cowboys debut in Houston, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown against returning Texans star receiver Nico Collins.
When the Dallas Cowboys shocked the world and traded for Steelers corner Joey Porter Jr., attention immediately turned to whether or not he would suit up in Week 4 against the Houston Texans. ...
And whether the Texans would have their star receiver Nico Collins back from injury in order to face him.
With Dallas traveling to NRG Stadium and Porter signed midweek, it loomed as a tall order for the corner to be in good enough shape to take part in Christian Parker's defense.
Given the injuries to the defensive side of the ball, Dallas needs all the help it can get, and Porter playing on Sunday certainly fits the bill.
The question is whether or not he will suit up.
Having already practiced throughout the end of this week, nd, by all reports, looking good, what does Brian Schottenheimer think Porter needs to do in order to play against Houston?
“I think stack a second day [Friday] is the key,” Schottenheimer said. “Go out there and do what he did [Thursday], which was really impressive. It's not just the understanding of what we do, the communication, which we all know is a big thing. I think we've got a really good plan that if he does play, where we will use him and what that will look like.
"But adding the red zone defenses in there today [Friday] will be a big part of us feeling comfortable about doing it. But he's trending in the right way, and he's working really hard.”
We believe the "stacking'' has occurred. And now we have the "final'' injury report for both the 1-2 Cowboys and the 0-3 Texans.
Porter is not on the report. Collins is cleared to play. (Also of note: Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown is out, as is Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. Dallas DBs Shavon Revel Malik Hooker should be available Sunday.)
Texans LB Al-Shaair (groin) has been ruled out.
So, it feels like Porter Jr. is trending towards taking his place against Houston.
Now, don't expect him to come in and play most of the snaps. It'll likely be certain packages that Porter will be on the field for. ... as the Cowboys weigh his knowledge of the playbook and his condition, as he's spent the last three weeks sitting out Steelers games with a back soreness that has suddenly cleared up.
With Collins returning for the Texans, the thought is that Porter, a superb cover corner, could take care of Collins.
Granted, there is still a lot of water to go under the bridge, but right now, we get the sense that Joey could be making his Cowboys debut in Houston. ... and hopefully making an impact.
