Joey Porter Jr. Reacts to Cowboys Trade From Steelers With 'Seat Belt' Meme in Social Media Post

In the aftermath of the surprise trade sending him to the Dallas Cowboys, Joey Porter Jr. shared a message that fans of his new team will appreciate.

On his Instagram Story, Porter posted a "seat belt" meme that defines it as "the opposing receiver is locked up" along with a caption "here I come Dallas" and a heart emoji.

Porter had been in a contract standoff with the Pittsburgh Steelers since the offseason. He also sat out the first three games of the season what what the team initially listed as a back injury and later changed to not injury related/conditioning.

The Steelers listed Porter as a full practice participant on Monday and Tuesday this week as they prepare to play the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football.

Steelers general manager Omar Khan told reporters on Aug. 31 the team held Porter in high regard, but they wouldn't going to break from their usual practice of not negotiating extensions after the season starts.

Per NFL insider Jordan Schultz , the Cowboys don't plan on immediately extending Porter.

The Cowboys, whose defensive struggles from last season have so far carried over into 2026, used some of their extra draft capital by sending Pittsburgh a 2027 sixth-round pick and 2028 second-round pick to add Porter to the secondary.

Dallas has the second-worst pass defense in the NFL by EPA per pass at 0.37, ahead of only the Miami Dolphins (0.47). The Cowboys also rank last in defensive success rate at 54.4 percent.

Given the resources Dallas has invested on that side of the ball in the past 12 months, including trading for Quinnen Williams and using two first-round picks in this year's draft on Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence, the lack of success so far is not a good look for anyone.

Porter, who had 14 passes defensed and didn't allow a touchdown in coverage last season, should be a huge boost for the Cowboys defense as soon as he is able to get on the field.

Dallas travels to Houston for a matchup with the Texans on Sunday, then has a quick turnaround to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football in Week 5.