FRISCO, Texas — Joey Porter Jr. did not practice Thursday for a second straight day, and the Dallas Cowboys cornerback said the injury that kept him out of Sunday’s game now involves his whole foot. Porter is listed with an ankle injury on the team’s practice report, and Dallas has not issued a game designation for Sunday.
Dallas acquired Porter, the 32nd overall pick in 2023, from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 1 for a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick. He had not played a game for Pittsburgh this season. The sixth-round pick became final once Porter was active for his second Cowboys game, against the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 18.
Porter made his Cowboys debut Oct. 4 in a 34-30 win over the Houston Texans. Four days later, he missed the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with an illness.
He played in each of the next three games but left the Nov. 1 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals early, then was inactive for the 27-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts. His listing says ankle, but Porter described an injury that goes beyond it.
“The whole foot jacked up,” Porter said. “I was playing on it for a while, and it just kept getting worse, to where I had to shut it down. So I feel like all the guys are wanting me to get back. They know what I can do when I’m out there on the field. I bring a presence out there that is a game-changing type presence. So I’m just trying to get back out there as fast as possible.”
Joey Porter Jr. Hurt The Ankle In His Houston Debut
Porter’s injury goes back to his Cowboys debut against Houston on Oct. 4.
“I tweaked it Houston game, and I just kept playing on it,” Porter explained. “And my 70% looks good. That’s what I think. So it just got worse as I kept playing on it.”
Porter was a non-participant Wednesday and Thursday after opening last week with a full practice, and his return depends on what the foot will let him do.
“Just to be able to run, be able to cut,” Porter said. “I play a position where I got to guard the most athletic people on the field. So if I can’t run, skip, or jump, then I’m no use out there.”
Dallas has also been without safety P.J. Locke, who suffered his second concussion in as many weeks at Indianapolis and has been ruled out for Sunday. Safety Jalen Thompson has missed seven games with a hamstring injury.
Porter has played in four of the Cowboys’ six games since the trade, and his availability has drawn outside chatter.
“Like I said, I really don’t pay attention to the noise,” Porter said. “I miss one game because of my sickness, and then I miss one because I’m banged up. So this football is going to happen. I really can’t control that. All I can control is my effort to get back on the field, and that’s what I’m trying to do. Just strive to get better every day, just to be out there with the guys again.”
The Cowboys practice once more Friday before releasing game designations, and Porter said he feels closer to returning this week.
“Definitely,” Porter said. “That’s the goal that I always try to play. So we’re gonna really find out tomorrow, move around and stuff.”
Christian Parker On Devin Moore
Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker did not commit before practice Thursday to Porter doing any work. “I will see,” Parker said.
Rookie cornerback Devin Moore, a fourth-round pick out of Florida, was a full participant Wednesday with a hip injury. Parker said Moore picked up the scheme quickly in training camp.
“I don’t want to put any expectations on him like that,” Parker said. “Definitely, I think in training camp, Devin, his size, at the line of scrimmage, he can impact the release of receivers. Very smart player. So when he was kind of getting on board and learning the scheme, it made a lot of sense to him. He was able to do that pretty quickly.”
“But when you kind of put guys in the fire in the middle of the year, there’s going to be the speed number one, the competitive nature of it, and just having that stamina,” Parker continued. “So him just building that up, and we’ll kind of just let that guy guide us where it needs to. But definitely like Devin, and we’re glad he’s back and out there in action.”
Dallas releases its final injury report of the week Friday. The Cowboys (4-5) host the San Francisco 49ers (7-1) on Sunday at AT&T Stadium, with kickoff set for 3:25 p.m. CT on Fox.
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