The Steelers let the Week 1 deadline pass without extending Joey Porter Jr., and the rumor mill did exactly what you would expect.
Per reporting from ESPN’s Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter, “the possibility of a trade remains in play” for the Pittsburgh cornerback. The Cowboys and Commanders have both been floated as potential suitors.
Why This Is Even Happening
Pittsburgh drafted Porter in the second round and he became a starter almost immediately. He has the size, the length and the willingness to play press coverage that the Steelers have always valued at the position, and his last name carries obvious weight in that building.
None of that guarantees a contract. Cornerback money has exploded, and Pittsburgh has historically been disciplined to the point of stubbornness about paying market rate for players it drafted. Failing to get an extension done before the season is how these situations end up on the trade block rather than in a press conference.
The Cowboys Fit Makes Sense
Dallas needs corners. That is not a new observation, and it was underlined in Week 1 when the Giants held the ball for nearly 37 minutes and moved it methodically down the field. A defense that cannot get off the field usually has a coverage problem somewhere on the back end.
Washington makes sense for similar reasons. Both teams are trying to win the NFC East now, and both have the cap flexibility to absorb a corner who is going to want a new deal shortly after arriving.
Why Pittsburgh Probably Does Not Do It
Here is the counterargument, and it is a strong one. The Steelers are not rebuilding. Trading a starting cornerback two weeks into a season you expect to compete in is an odd way to improve the roster.
The far more likely outcome is that this is leverage. Pittsburgh lets the rumors circulate, Porter’s camp recalibrates its contract expectations, and a deal gets done in the offseason at a number both sides can live with. That is how most of these standoffs resolve.
Teams rarely trade good young corners in September. They trade them in March, when the cap math is clearer and the return can be applied to a draft class.
What to Watch
The tell will be usage. If Porter’s snap count starts dropping or he mysteriously shows up on an injury report with something vague, that is a franchise protecting an asset it intends to move.
If he keeps playing 95 percent of defensive snaps and matching up against opposing No. 1 receivers, Pittsburgh is going to keep him and sort the money out later.
Bet on the second option. The Steelers are a lot of things, but they are not a team that dismantles a defense in the middle of a season it thinks it can win.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.