‘Playing Better Since He Got Here’: Quinnen Williams, Dallas Cowboys Teammates Credit Joey Porter Jr.’s Impact
FRISCO, Texas — Quinnen Williams jokes with Joey Porter Jr. that the cornerback is the reason Williams has played better since Porter arrived, and several Dallas Cowboys teammates praised Porter after Thursday’s practice.
Dallas acquired Porter from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 30 for a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick. Porter sat out Pittsburgh’s first three games of the season amid a contract stalemate and is set to become a free agent after this season.
The Steelers drafted Porter out of Penn State with the No. 32 overall pick in 2023. He played 47 games with 41 starts in Pittsburgh, totaling 31 passes defensed and 3 interceptions. His father, a former Steelers linebacker of the same name, was a four-time Pro Bowler.
Porter joined Dallas in the middle of a season, as Williams did last November. Williams said the cornerback brought energy and swag with him.
“He’s a baller. I joke with him and tell him all the time, I’ve been playing better since he got here. So he’s the reason I’ve been playing better,” Williams said. “But he’s a baller, man. He brought energy, like I said, brings swag. And just the confidence that he had when he was on the island by himself is unbelievable, man. The player that he is is great to have on our team.”
CeeDee Lamb On Facing Joey Porter Jr.
CeeDee Lamb sees Porter in practice. The Cowboys can put him on an opponent’s top receiver and dare that team to beat Dallas that way, according to Lamb.
“Love it, man. Love when we have a player like that that you can just throw on anybody’s top guy and then say, if you’re going to beat us, beat us with that guy on him. And lately he’s been doing a great job,” Lamb said. “I don’t think he had a completion on him yet. I don’t know the facts behind that, but just off of what I’ve seen, ball throwing his way, somehow finds a way on the ground, and soon enough it’s going to be in his hands.”
Porter shares an agent, David Mulugheta of Athletes First, with Cowboys receiver George Pickens, whom Dallas also acquired from Pittsburgh, ProFootballTalk reported. Pickens is playing this season on the franchise tag.
Dak Prescott On Porter’s Confidence
Porter began practicing with Dallas the day the trade became official, working with defensive coordinator Christian Parker, FOX 4 reported.
Dak Prescott does not study the defense closely, he said, but he sees Porter win one-on-one matchups when he looks up.
“Yeah, just a very, very confident player. Excited for his matchups. I can’t say I’ve just studied and watched what they’re doing over there, but you look up and you see some one-on-one plays,” Prescott said. “He’s making the plays that come his way, and he’s doing exactly what we’ve asked him to.”
The Cowboys (3-4) host the Arizona Cardinals (2-5) on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon CT on FOX.
