Facing a depleted secondary, Jerry Jones may return to a familiar partner to secure a defensive anchor, though the cost for Pittsburgh’s lockdown corner remains high.
The Dallas Cowboys have already gone shopping in Pittsburgh twice in the last 17 months. If they go back for a third helping, this one would carry a much different price tag — and potentially say much more about what Dallas believes its defense is still missing.
Dallas is among a handful of teams that have made inquiries about Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday. Pittsburgh is willing to listen, per the report, though it would require strong compensation to move the 26-year-old corner.
The timing isn't difficult to understand.
Starting cornerback Cobie Durant suffered a hamstring injury in Dallas' Week 2 win over Washington and has been ruled out against Baltimore. The Cowboys elevated Reddy Steward from the practice squad for Week 3, making an already thin position thinner.
Durant's absence creates the immediate need. Porter would be a much bigger answer.
At this point, Dallas calling Pittsburgh hardly qualifies as a surprise.
The Cowboys acquired George Pickens from the Steelers in May 2025 for a 2026 third-round pick and 2027 fifth, with Dallas also receiving Pittsburgh's 2027 sixth. They went back to Pittsburgh in August, sending a 2027 third and returning that same Steelers sixth-rounder for Broderick Jones and Pittsburgh's 2027 fourth.
Now Porter.
Two completed trades do not prove Dallas has some special pipeline into Pittsburgh, but there is obvious recent comfort between the organizations when it comes to making significant deals.
The harder question is what Dallas has left to offer.
The Cowboys have already raided their 2027 draft. The better of Dallas' two first-rounders — its own and Green Bay's from the Micah Parsons trade — belongs to the New York Jets as part of the Quinnen Williams deal, while Dallas has also moved its third, original fourth and fifth.
That leaves five 2027 selections: one first, its own second and sixth, Pittsburgh's fourth and Houston's seventh.
The second-rounder is the cleanest place to begin any serious Porter conversation without touching the remaining first. 2028 capital could also provide additional paths.
There is no reported asking price beyond Pittsburgh wanting strong compensation, so anything more specific would be guesswork.
But our Mike Fisher is suggesting that Pittsburgh would demand "a first-rounder plus'' in any swap.
Still … Dallas has spent enough future capital that another major trade would require an actual choice.
Porter might be worth having that conversation.
He allowed a 48.5 percent completion rate when targeted in 2025 and recorded a career-best 14 passes defended across 14 starts. At 6-foot-2, Porter also looks like a natural schematic fit for defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
Parker made his philosophy simple in February: "If we got good man-to-man corners, we're going to play man."
Porter's length and physicality have made press-man coverage one of his strengths, while his ability to function in zone gives Dallas the flexibility Parker has said he wants.
The culture fit comes with one question.
Porter's aggressive coverage style has produced penalties. He was charged with 12 penalties for 137 yards in 2024 before dropping to six for 56 yards in 2025.
That improvement matters for a Brian Schottenheimer program that has preached discipline time and again. Porter brings the edge Dallas could use outside, though the Cowboys would also have to believe the flags are becoming a smaller part of the package.
Then there is the contract.
Porter, a second-round pick in 2023, is in the final year of his rookie deal after spending the offseason seeking an extension from Pittsburgh. He has yet to play this season after dealing with a back issue and an extended ramp-up, and Pittsburgh listed him as limited throughout this week's practices due to conditioning. He is questionable against Cincinnati.
That is where a Porter trade would separate itself from the Cowboys' recent moves in the secondary.
Dallas acquired Stephon Gilmore in 2023 for a fifth-round pick. Gilmore was 32, already had a Defensive Player of the Year award on his résumé and was entering the final year of his contract.
Dallas was buying a proven veteran for an immediate run.
Kaiir Elam was another low-cost swing. Dallas sent Buffalo a fifth-rounder and future seventh in 2025 while receiving Elam and a sixth. Elam was 24, though he had started only 12 games across three seasons after Buffalo selected him in the first round.
Porter sits in another category.
He is young enough to become part of the Cowboys' defensive core, established enough that Dallas knows what it would be buying and expensive enough — both in draft capital and a potential new contract — that acquiring him would require another real commitment.
That distinction matters with DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel Jr. already occupying prominent roles. Giving up premium capital for Porter would signal something much larger than a desire to survive Durant's absence.
It would mean Dallas sees an opportunity to turn cornerback into another strength.
The Cowboys have spent more than a year rebuilding this defense through trades. Williams fortified the middle. Rashan Gary added another pass rusher. The front has received investment after investment while Parker has started molding the pieces into his system.
Porter would be something different — a chance to spend on the back end before a temporary problem becomes a permanent one.
Dallas has already made two major deals with Pittsburgh and walked away with significant pieces.
Turning its latest inquiry into a third deal could be the most revealing one yet.
