FRISCO, Texas — Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Thursday the trade for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. came from an owner in a win-now mindset, and he tied that mindset in part to Jerry Jones’ age.
The Dallas Cowboys sent a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Porter on Wednesday night. Porter arrived early Thursday morning, passed his physical, and practiced that afternoon.
Schottenheimer credited Jones, chief operating officer Stephen Jones, and vice president of player personnel Will McClay. He has watched Porter since Penn State and coached against him two years ago.
“Yeah, I think it’s a credit to, again, Jerry and Stephen and Will McClay, the aggressiveness to go out and add really great players,” Schottenheimer said. “We played against him a couple years ago. I’ve known him since his time at Penn State in terms of watching him play. A guy of that length and size, we love the physicality that he brings, both as a coverage piece and as a guy that can fill runs, tackle, crack-replace, and things like that. So it made a lot of sense.”
He and Jerry Jones have been aligned on urgency since he took the job, Schottenheimer said.
“Like I said, Jerry and I have talked from the very beginning. We’re in a win-now mindset. That doesn’t change,” Schottenheimer explained. “Why? Well, Jerry’s 84. That’s one reason. Dak Prescott’s still playing at an elite level. We’ve got some elite weapons on offense, and the defense is getting better.”
“Again, you add a player like this, and I’ve just had a ton of respect for the way he plays and the flexibility he gives you,” Schottenheimer continued. “You can do different things away from him because he’s so talented, and the physicality that he brings is unique.”
Brian Schottenheimer Says Rio Loss Did Not Drive The Trade
The deal was not a reaction to Sunday’s 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro, Schottenheimer said. Dallas had been watching the situation before the trip.
“It doesn’t really have much to do with it. I think we’ve been beat up for a while,” Schottenheimer said. “This is more about getting a chance to get a young corner that’s got elite cover skills, who can come in and add to a group that’s depleted right now with injuries. That’s always good. But I think a change of scenery is good. We all understand that, and so he’s excited about the chance of being here with the Cowboys.”
Brian Schottenheimer Wants Joey Porter Jr. To Stack A Second Day
Porter will not play every snap if he plays Sunday at the Houston Texans. Schottenheimer said defensive coordinator Christian Parker built a specific package for him and declined to describe it, with Houston watching.
“Yeah, he’s got a very specific plan. I’m not going to give it away because obviously the Texans are going to be reading our clips and seeing what’s going on,” Schottenheimer said. “But if he’s out there, we’ll have a very specific plan. Is it realistic to say he’s going to play every play of the game? Probably not. But if he plays, we’ll certainly have a good package for him.”
On Friday, Schottenheimer said Porter’s first practice had been really impressive and that the red-zone install would decide how comfortable the staff felt.
“Yeah, I think stack a second day today is the key. Go out there and do what he did yesterday, which was really impressive,” Schottenheimer said. “It’s not just the understanding of what we do, the communication, which we all know is a big thing. I think we’ve got a really good plan that if he does play, where we will use him and what that will look like. But adding the red zone defenses in there today will be a big part of us feeling comfortable about doing it.”
The secondary Porter joins is short. Safety Jalen Thompson and safety P.J. Locke are on injured reserve, and cornerback Cobie Durant is out Sunday with a hamstring injury. Schottenheimer said Friday he has not seen a defensive backfield this injured in 25 years.
“I haven’t in my 25 years been around a secondary that’s been more plagued with some of the injuries,” Schottenheimer said. “And so you have two choices. You can not play somebody and do what you want to do, but maybe one of your better players is sitting on the bench or you play him and you adjust. I think that’s kind of what we do as coaches. We adjust and our job is to maximize the players that we have.”
Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan after Friday’s practice that the team expects Porter to get snaps, Inside The Star reported. Porter carries no injury designation, and kickoff at Reliant Stadium is set for noon CT on Fox.
