When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys, the Steelers fanbase was divided. For some, it was good riddance to a player who overvalued himself; for others, it meant blaming Omar Khan and the front office for their incompetence in contract extension talks.
One thing we should all be able to agree on is that Porter—with his penalties, grabbiness, and all—was one of the best cornerbacks the Steelers have drafted in quite some time. And losing him only makes this defense (and this football team) worse.
But that doesn't mean there's nothing positive to note from the trade.
Getting future second-round draft capital is clearly a plus, but beyond that, there are reasons Steelers fans can secretly be thankful for this trade with the Cowboys. Here are six.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans should be thankful Joey Porter Jr. was traded for these six reasons
The Steelers avoid a risky long-term commitment at top dollar
Every NFL contract includes some level of risk, either for the player, the organization, or both. When it came to Joey Porter Jr.'s looming deal, paying the veteran cornerback top dollar would have been a huge gamble on the part of the Steelers.
Porter was coming off an excellent season, but the nature of the cornerback position is high-variance week to week, year to year, and game to game. Quite frankly, Porter isn't the most well-rounded CB. Though he thrives in bump-and-run press-man coverage, he's only average in zone, and he lacks ball skills.
If the Steelers were to dish out over $30 million per year to a cornerback, it truly would need to be a player with a complete skill set and ball skills (à la Pat Surtain II, Christian Gonzalez, or Derek Stingley Jr.). Porter does not fit that mold, and the team would have almost certainly overpaid to keep him around.
Joey Porter Jr.'s 2025 season could have been a one-off
The Steelers may have used this reasoning when having conversations about Porter's future. Though his 2025 season produced some spectacular results in terms of yards allowed (325) and passer rating allowed (55.9), Porter has not repeated great seasons in the NFL.
Porter's rookie season in 2023 was up and down while showing promise. However, he took a significant step in the wrong direction in 2024 when he was overly grabby, didn't trust his instincts and athletic traits when the ball was in the air, and led the NFL in penalties.
In 2024, Porter allowed 638 yards and an 86.4 passer rating while committing a whopping 17 total penalties (five declined, 12 stood), per Pro Football Focus [$]. We have only a one-year sample of great play from Porter, and if he reverts to his 2024 form, this could have looked like one of the worst contracts in the NFL.
The Pittsburgh Steelers get quality draft capital that can be used in QB search
This is the big one, and we can't disregard it. While the Steelers won't see the fruits of the Joey Porter Jr. trade for a few years, a second-round pick is notable—even if it comes in the 2028 NFL Draft. It's also worth noting that the Steelers received a sixth-round pick in the 2027 draft.
Under Khan, the Steelers have an excellent track record when making second-round selections. Since Khan took over as GM in 2023, the Steelers' second-round picks have consisted of cornerback Joey Porter Jr., defensive tackle Keeanu Benton, center Zach Frazier, and wide receiver Germie Bernard (the last of which the jury is still out on).
This doesn't guarantee that the Steelers will find a player of this caliber with the second-rounder acquired from Dallas in the Porter deal, but they are more than capable of doing so. Now it's just a matter of being patient.
Porter would have been a questionable fit in Patrick Graham's defense
This is a big one that I don't think enough people are talking about. Through the first quarter of the 2026 season, the Steelers have played roughly 90 percent zone coverage. Obviously, this decision by defensive coordinator Patrick Graham could have been based on the personnel available. But we wondered all along if Porter was a fit in Graham's defense.
In 2025, one year before joining the Steelers, Graham's defense with the Las Vegas Raiders had the third-lowest man-coverage rate in the NFL at just 14.6 percent. If the plan was to remain a zone-heavy scheme, it wouldn't have made sense to pay a premium on a man-coverage cornerback and not utilize what Porter does best.
The Steelers can use draft capital to open an actual Super Bowl window
We talked about the Steelers' recent history with second-round picks, but more than that, it's about utilizing windows. And let's be honest: Pittsburgh's window to truly compete for a championship is not now. However, it could be several years from now.
The Steelers are finally starting to build the foundation of their roster from the ground up by investing in trench players on both sides of the ball. Thanks to their recent trades, the Steelers have a first, a second, and two third-round picks to work with this year and a first, two seconds, and a third next year (plus a plethora of Day 3 picks).
This early-round draft capital could be used to invest in pivotal positions like quarterback, wide receiver, and cornerback.
While it seems odd to spend draft capital on a cornerback when the Steelers already had a CB1 in place, it's worth mentioning that Porter—who was on the older side when he was drafted in 2023—will be 27 years old before the 2027 season, so the Steelers' "window" to compete may not have aligned with his peak years anyway.
Omar Khan just set a precedent with every player moving forward
I know Omar Khan caught a lot of flak for his decision to stand his ground and not cave when it came to giving fully guaranteed money in the second year of an extension. This is an exception he made for perennial All-Pro and future Hall of Famer T.J. Watt, but not something the front office is willing to throw around.
Though we can argue that this extension should have been wrapped up early in the offseason, Khan was right not to fold to Porter's demands. If he had, what kind of precedent would that set for players like Zach Frazier, Troy Fautanu, and Mason McCormick, who will have extensions looming? Just pout and refuse to play, and the front office will cave?
Like it or not, Khan dug his heels in and made it a point not to be bullied by powerhouse agents trying to shake every last coin out of the Steelers' pockets. And because he stood his ground, players in need of contracts moving forward will already know that they can't get away with the stunt that Porter tried to pull.
Add us as a preferred source on Google