Cowboys playing dangerous game with Joey Porter Jr. trade

Dallas needed to improve its depth at corner with Shavon Revel Jr. (knee/ankle), a 2025 third-round pick, and offseason free-agent acquisition Cobie Durant (hamstring) non-participants during Wednesday's practice ahead of the Week 4 game against Houston. Those absences left DaRon Bland, Caelen Carson and Ameer Speed as the only healthy corners on the active Cowboys roster.

While procuring a corner was a necessity, adding Porter is a gamble, and not because of injury risk. Playing on an expiring contract and with mega-agent David Mulugheta in his corner, keeping the fourth-year corner beyond 2026 is going to cost Dallas.

Cowboys pay hefty price for possible Joey Porter Jr. rental

As Archer noted overnight Wednesday, Porter could easily be a short-term rental. Even if he leaves and Dallas receives a compensatory pick, that would be, at best, at the end of the third round in 2028. Considering it gave up a 2028 second (and a 2027 sixth, which conveys if Porter plays two games for the Cowboys) to land him, that would be a major loss for Dallas.

Mulugheta, Archer notes, represents several upcoming Cowboys free agents — including wideout George Pickens, who was also acquired in May 2025 from the Steelers — and also handled negotiations between Dallas and All-Pro edge-rusher Micah Parsons. Those talks went sideways, and Parsons was dealt to the Green Bay Packers last August.

The trade reeks of desperation for the Cowboys. While Porter undeniably makes the secondary better, the risk of getting less than a whole season from him in exchange for two draft picks is steep. And even if he remains part of the organization's plans beyond 2026, as one of the league's best man-coverage corners over his first three seasons, Porter's next contract will cost a substantial amount.

Four corners signed contracts this past offseason worth over $30M annually, and Dallas already has Bland signed through 2029 on a contract valued at $22.5M per season.

Pickens should also be in line for a lucrative payday, and with quarterback Dak Prescott and wideout CeeDee Lamb commanding large shares of cap space, it's difficult to imagine how Cowboys owner Jerry Jones can keep everyone.

Dallas better make the most of its next 14 regular-season games. After trading for Porter, its upcoming offseason just became a lot more difficult.