Jerry Jones on Joey Porter Jr. trade: "It's important to think big"

Published October 3, 2026 09:02 AM The Steelers decided to move on from cornerback Joey Porter Jr. The Cowboys were ready to pounce.“It’s important to think big,” Cowboys owner and G.M. Jerry Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, “and this is over in that big thought area about what we can do to help our defense.”As to whether other moves will be made this year, Jones said “it’s always fluid” and “you can’t sit still.”“If you look at the overall picture, I frankly decided a couple of years ago to get in the business of reworking what we are defensively,” Jones said.The Porter trade is about winning now. The question is whether one player will make a big difference. The Cowboys have seen their cornerback play dip since trading linebacker Micah Parsons, and it’s not a coincidence. It’s easier to cover receivers if the quarterback is rushing to throw — or not throwing at all. Porter isn’t Deion Sanders. (Then again, no one is.) The issue in Pittsburgh was that the two sides had a dramatically different viewpoint as to his value. And the eventual price that Cowboys paid (a sixih-round pick in 2027 and a second-round pick in 2028, with the possibility of a third-round compensatory pick in 2028 if he leave in free agency after this season) reflects the Steelers’ assessment of Porter as a player.Porter’s value to the Cowboys remains to be seen. But all signs are pointing to Porter getting his first chance to show what he can do for his new team on Sunday.