Joey Porter Jr. on his critics: They'll be quiet soon

Published October 27, 2026 09:58 PM Upset about not getting a contract extension before the season, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. didn’t play in four games with the Steelers. He was inactive with his on-again, off-again back issue, which wasn’t an issue after the Cowboys traded for him.Porter played for the Cowboys three days after the trade, but he was inactive the following week after an unexpected illness knocked him out. It prompted questions about whether he was all-in with the Cowboys, who made clear they aren’t giving him a new deal this season.Richard Sherman said on Amazon Prime Video, “I think maybe if [the Cowboys] had given him a new contract, he’d have been a little healthier today.”Porter heard the speculation, but he is unbothered. “Me personally, I know the real,” Porter told Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I know the truth. I don’t really pay too much attention online to what they have to say. I just got to keep doing my job on Sundays. Once they see the tape, they’ll know. They’ll be quiet soon.” Porter has allowed only one catch for 5 yards on nine targets in three games. He has been the lockdown corner the Cowboys expected when they sent a 2027 sixth-round draft pick and a 2028 second-round draft pick to the Steelers.“It’s nothing new for me,” Porter told Harris. “I think I’ve always been capable of such. I feel like the tape from the last couple of years showed the same thing. I just keep the main thing the main thing.”