The Pittsburgh Steelers may regret trading Joey Porter Jr. at some point this season, but I can assure you that they won't after Week 8. Mike McCarthy's team is coming off a 21-point blowout victory over the Cleveland Browns, while Patrick Graham's defense held their AFC Rival (who entered the game with a 5-2 record) to just six points.
But while the defense has been performing in Pittsburgh, it's been the opposite for the Dallas Cowboys—which makes the Porter trade look all the more hilarious.
In Week 8, the 3-4 Cowboys were entering a must-win home game against the 2-5 Arizona Cardinals. While quarterback Dak Prescott and the offense expectedly did their part as they scored 30 points in regulation before losing in overtime, the defense allowed 33 points and 467 yards of offense in the Week 8 stinker.
Almost none of this was Porter's fault. But it goes to show that even a star cornerback can't come close to fixing Dallas' defensive issues.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have even more reason to like the Joey Porter Jr. trade after Week 8
Porter has been spectacular for the Cowboys. In his first three games in Dallas, the press-man CB allowed just 10 yards on nine targets. In Week 8, Porter continued to shut down his man, as he was credited with allowing just one reception on two targets for a mere nine yards, per Pro Football Focus [$].
But his ability to slow down the opposing receiver across from him hardly aided his defense in achieving success.
In Week 8, the Cardinals passed for 265 yards despite swapping starter Jacoby Brissett for backup Gardner Minshew halfway through the game. Worse yet, Dallas allowed a whopping 202 yards on the ground—and Porter could only do so much to aid his team in this department.
Porter did record a penalty (his third in four games for the Cowboys), but the coaching staff can live with it when he's completely shutting down opposing receivers. What they can't live with, however, is the fact that their defense, as a unit, has been among the worst in the NFL (again) this season.
Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, the Steelers are coming off a game in which they allowed the Browns to score just six points while passing for 5.5 net yards per dropback (much of which came in garbage time with the game out of reach).
It further helps the sting of the Porter trade go away when you consider PFF credited cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. for allowing zero receptions on three targets, Daylen Everette allowed one reception for two yards on one target, and Jamel Dean allowed 31 yards on seven targets [$].
Porter is hardly the problem for the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, he's been one of their best players since being traded to 'America's Team'. But his presence isn't helping a dismal defense find success in containing offenses or winning football games.
As the Pittsburgh Steelers continue their four-game winning streak, the once-haunting Joey Porter Jr. trade is starting to look better with each game that passes.
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