Former Steelers Joey Porter Jr Addresses Injury, Contract Controversy

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a long and drawn-out saga with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the beginning of training camp to Sept. 30, when they traded him to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick.

Porter missed training camp and the season due to several reasons. Pittsburgh placed him on the injury report for having a back injury. He was also placed on the injury report for (NIR/conditioning). There was also the contract dispute. 

Days after his trade from the Steelers, he played for Dallas against the Houston Texans, but missed the Cowboys' loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the next week due to an illness. He returned to play in Dallas' next three games against the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Arizona Cardinals, but was made inactive against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9 due to an ankle injury. He missed practice Wednesday and Thursday this week. 

When speaking to reporters on Thursday, Porter cleared the air about why he's missing time with the Cowboys. He said it has nothing to do with his contract situation, saying he's not sure "where that narrative" is coming from, via ESPN. He blamed the narrative on the internet, and said his goal is just to win games.

Those around Pittsburgh might understand where the narrative came from, given what happened early in the regular season when he returned to practices only to be made inactive for game day. 

But Porter's situation with Dallas has been different. He's been practicing and playing in games.

Porter hopes to play against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, but he needs his ankle to cooperate. He wants to be able to run and cut the way he needs to, noting that cornerbacks have to cover receivers, the most athletic players on the gridiron.

Porter said his "whole foot's jacked up" right now. He tried playing on it earlier in the season, but the issue got worse and he had to shut things down. Still, he's facing pressure from his new teammates to get back to the field. They know he's a game-changing player on the defense.

The issue is frustrating for Porter and the Cowboys. Dallas made the trade to fix a problematic secondary. The Cowboys are 4-5 before getting set to play the 49ers, and the playoff picture appears to be falling out of their grasp before Thanksgiving.