Cowboys' Joey Porter Jr. Trade Graded by NFL Insiders, 'They Were Bidding Against Themselves'

Some teams around the NFL feel the Dallas Cowboys paid too much to acquire cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers, The Athletic's Jonathan Jones reported Saturday.

The Cowboys traded a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round for Porter, who had yet to play for the Steelers this season amid stalled contract negotiations and a back injury.

According to Jones, "many around the league believed Dallas overpaid, based largely on the belief that teams don't view Porter as a top-tier corner."

Jones also noted the Cowboys "have a strong recent history of overpaying for talent."

One executive told Jones about the Cowboys: "They were bidding against themselves for Porter."

Jones noted that some people around the NFL see the value of picks dropping the farther they are in the future. One general manager told Jones he would equate the value of the 2028 second-rounder to a third-round pick in 2027.

Porter was not listed with an injury designation on the Cowboys' latest injury report ahead of Sunday's Week 4 matchup against the Houston Texans.

The trade for Porter left the Cowboys with a projected four draft picks in 2027, per Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The Steelers had at least one additional suitor for Porter. Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell told reporters after the trade his team was "very much in" on the cornerback.

Both the Lions, which have allowed the most passing yards against in the NFL, and the Cowboys, which are missing multiple key members of their secondary to injury, have reason to overpay for a boost to their defense.

Jones pointed out it's the Cowboys with a recent pattern of seemingly overpaying for players. That includes giving up draft capital for both Trey Lance and Joe Milton, neither of whom panned out as a reliable backup behind Dak Prescott

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Friday in an appearance on 105.3 The Fan he saw the Porter trade as betting the player could reach new heights in Pittsburgh similar to the production boost enjoyed by George Pickens following his trade from the Steelers.

The Cowboys initially acquired Pickens last offseason in exchange for a 2026 third-round while swapping a 2027 fifth- and sixth-rounder.

That might have also seemed like an overpay had Pickens not gone on to record the best season of his career by racking up 93 catches for 1,429 receiving yards in 17 games.

Porter already allowed the third-lowest passer rating in the NFL last season, per PFF . He could establish himself as one of the league's top corners and set himself up for a big payday next offseason by following in Pickens' footsteps and putting together a resurgent campaign once he is able to make his season debut for Dallas.