Joey Porter happy for fresh start with Cowboys, eyes Sunday debut - ESPN

FRISCO, Texas — When the week began, Joey Porter Jr. thought he would be playing Thursday night for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Cleveland Browns. Now, he hopes to make his Dallas Cowboys debut Sunday against the Houston Texans.

«We're just trying to take things day by day,» Porter said after his first practice in Dallas, «and if everything looks good, then we should be out there.»

Porter was at the movie theater watching Brad Pitt's «Heart of the Beast» when he got word of the trade. The Cowboys gave up a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder to acquire Porter, marking the third deal the organizations have made since May 2025 (George Pickens, Broderick Jones).

Early Thursday morning, he was on a plane to join his new team, ending his run with the Steelers, who drafted him in the second round of the 2023 draft.

Porter was hoping for an extension with the Steelers, and the saga lasted throughout the offseason and into training camp while he dealt with a back injury. Porter said it was more his call not to play in against the Browns, but added that his back was «feeling better.»

Porter is not listed on the Cowboys' injury report.

«It was a hard process; a lot of ups and downs,» Porter said. «Definitely felt disrespected, definitely felt undervalued. But that's the old news now. That's how I look at it. I'm on to new beginnings, new chapters. And like I said, I'm a Cowboy. I'm in Dallas, so I'm happy about that.»

Porter will have to wait for a possible extension from the Cowboys, too. Still, he said he would be open to finishing his career in Dallas.

«I'm down with it if they are. I want to finish my career here,» Porter said. «So hopefully, I just perform like how I know how to perform and do what I do,