Joey Porter Jr. is questionable with an ankle injury for Sunday night's game against Green Bay, leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers waiting on the final piece of their trade return from Dallas. His next appearance on the game-day roster has draft consequences back in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh's return includes a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth contingent on Porter being active for two Dallas games, according to reporting from ESPN's Todd Archer. The second-rounder isn't subject to that requirement. Pittsburgh's most valuable asset from the deal remains intact.
Porter has appeared once for the Cowboys, against Houston. An illness cost him the Tampa Bay game, and Dallas listed him as limited Wednesday and Friday, with a full practice Thursday. Missing Green Bay would extend the wait.
Pittsburgh Steelers could reclaim a pick spent in the George Pickens trade
Omar Khan's biggest return is still two drafts away. The conditional selection is the only pick in this package scheduled for next spring. If it doesn't transfer, Pittsburgh would need another deal to turn any of the Porter compensation into a selection it can use in 2027.
A sixth-rounder, obviously, won't replace the starting corner Pittsburgh traded. It can still become a useful reserve, a special-teams contributor, or a chip in another deal. The Steelers shouldn't shrug off an asset simply because it comes on Day 3.
Pittsburgh's recent additions of Sean Murphy-Bunting and Terell Smith show why another chance to develop depth matters. Khan poached both corners from practice squads after Porter's departure and Jamel Dean's ankle injury. Khan is already scrambling for help at corner, and coming away with less draft capital would only add to the cost of moving Porter.
The conditional selection also originated with Pittsburgh, which sent it to Dallas in the George Pickens trade. Securing it would restore a draft resource Khan had already spent. That doesn't transform the Porter deal into a bargain, but losing it would leave Pittsburgh with an even thinner return.
Khan also accepted this risk by agreeing to the condition. Pittsburgh doesn't control Dallas' medical decisions or game-day roster, so the Steelers are waiting on an asset they can't secure themselves.
Porter's absences don't establish that he's refusing to play. Dallas' account of the Tampa Bay game describes repeated vomiting and the team sending him home. Stephen Jones also expressed confidence in Porter's commitment during Friday's appearance on 105.3 The Fan.
Porter loses opportunities with every missed game, regardless of the cause. Teams evaluating his future need more than flashes of coverage ability. They need evidence that he can stay available and handle a sustained workload. Continued absences could weaken his case even if the medical problems are legitimate.
We'll see what happens when the Cowboys release their inactives list Sunday around 7 p.m. ET. Pittsburgh gets the pick once Porter makes another active game-day roster, regardless of how much he plays. If he sits again, the Steelers keep waiting, with plenty of season remaining for him to meet the condition. The risk becomes a lost pick only if that second activation never comes.
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