FRISCO, Texas — Offensive tackle Broderick Jones said this week that cornerback Joey Porter Jr. arriving in Dallas happened so fast it felt like a bang, reuniting two members of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 draft class with the Dallas Cowboys.
Pittsburgh drafted Jones in the first round and Porter with the 32nd overall pick in 2023. The Cowboys acquired Jones from the Steelers in August and traded for Porter on Wednesday night, sending a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick to Pittsburgh. Dallas also acquired wide receiver George Pickens from the Steelers in May 2025.
Jones said he expected Porter to be in Cleveland on Thursday night, playing for Pittsburgh against the Browns.
“I’m excited, honestly. When I got the call that he was here, it was kind of like a bang, like, how did that happen so fast, you know what I’m saying?” Jones said. “Because I was expecting him to be in Cleveland playing with Pittsburgh, but we ended up getting him. So I feel like he’s going to be a big help for this team. He’s just got to come in with his head on, with his mind right, and win some football games.”
Broderick Jones And Joey Porter Jr. Came Into The NFL Together
The two went through rookie minicamp together and battled across the line as an offensive tackle and a cornerback. Jones said the bond carried outside the building, and Porter came over to his house this week to watch a game.
“Well, me and him came in together, so it was already, my guy was, you know what I’m saying, we were already locked in, just going through rookie minicamp together, battling there. We got our little conversations here and there because he’s on the opposite side; I’m one side,” Jones said. “So it’s always fun. I like when I’m able to get outside the tackle box and put hands on the little corners because they like to talk a lot.”
“But it was always business, so it’s really hard to explain because it’s like a whole group. It was just like a different type of bond, you get what I’m saying?” Jones continued. “Even in the locker room, outside of work, we chill at each other’s houses. Even yesterday, he came over to my house, and we were just chilling, chopping it up, watching the game, just little things like that. So I feel like it helps us, growing a bond on the field and outside, and it just helps the team.”
Broderick Jones Says Joey Porter Jr. Is A Freak Of Nature
Porter is listed at 6-foot-2. Jones said the length that makes Porter hard to beat also leads to grabbing, and that Porter worked on his technique this offseason.
“Well, first of all, he got long arms. So he’s really like a freak of nature, honestly. I’ve always said he’s a receiver-type body, but he can cover well. He has great feet,” Jones said. “I always tell him he can get a little handsy at times. That just comes with you being so long, but we’re going to get it together. I can tell he really focused this offseason on honing in on his little skills, his little techniques, that will help him go a long way.”
Porter said Thursday that Jones and Pickens welcomed him the moment the trade went through.
“Man, just him and Broderick, we’re all Steelers guys. We came from the Steelers, so they were just happy for me. Like I said earlier, they were just open arms,” Porter said. “He basically was giving me the whole rundown of how things operate here and the culture. So the things he was telling me, I’m excited to be here. I’m willing, I’m ready.”
Jones went into the game in Rio on the final drive when right tackle Terence Steele was poked in the eye, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Tuesday.
Porter carries no injury designation for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans. Kickoff at Reliant Stadium is set for noon CT on Fox.
