Late last night, the Cowboys and Steelers struck yet another headline-making trade — their third in just over a year, and the second in only a few months. This time, it was star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. getting dealt to Dallas.
The 26-year-old Bakersfield, California, native was first drafted by Pittsburgh, the same team his All-Pro father played for, in 2023. The Cowboys were tied to him then, but they ultimately selected DT Mazi Smith just six selections ahead of “JPJ,” who went 32nd overall.
Most consider Porter Jr. to be a top-10/15 cornerback in the NFL, so the price tag of a late 2027 draft pick and a 2028 second-rounder is far from unreasonable.
– 3rd in passer rating allowed
– 6th in completion rate allowed
– T-3rd in forced incompletions
– Most snaps with 0 TDs allowed
This is your newest Dallas Cowboy.
This is who the Pittsburgh Steelers gave up on.
The cost also made him the most expensive Steeler that Dallas has traded for yet — remember George Pickens was not nearly the star he is now when he became a Cowboy. Here, we’ll go over all the moves between the Cowboys and Steelers so you can see the full cost of doing business, and decide who has won these trades to this point.
Cowboys & Steelers Trade Recap: Three Players for a Slew of Draft Picks
(3 Trades since May 2025)
Cowboys Receive:
- WR George Pickens
- OT Broderick Jones
- CB Joey Porter Jr.
- PIT 2027 4th-round pick
Steelers Receive:
- DAL 2026 3rd-round pick (76th overall, used on QB Drew Allar)
- DAL 2027 3rd-round pick
- DAL 2027 5th-round pick
- * DAL 2027 6th-round pick (traded to DAL in the Pickens deal, back to PIT in the Porter deal) — conditional on Porter playing two games in 2026 for the Cowboys.
- DAL 2028 2nd-round pick
There it is all laid out. In total, the Cowboys netted three players and Pittsburgh’s fourth this year, and the Steelers got five draft picks in return, one of which they already used to select Allar (currently QB4 on PIT’s depth chart).
We all know the Pickens deal was a resounding win for Dallas and a big loss for the Steelers, and I think you can argue the Porter deal went the same way.
Where things get tricky is, of course, the Broderick Jones pick-swap move. He was actually selected ahead of JPJ by Pittsburgh in the 2023 draft and was sent to Dallas on August 29th. Somehow, the Steelers gained a third-round pick out of that, while sending Dallas a fourth back.
The difference in picks there could end up being significant; meanwhile, Jones has yet to play for Dallas at all.
Overall, I think the Cowboys and Steelers trades work out in favor of America’s Team, but that is contingent on Porter at least hitting those elite cornerback expectations. He could make his Dallas debut this Sunday at Houston, so we should know soon enough if he is worth the hype, and the draft picks.
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