DALLAS — The Cowboys are injecting some life into their depleted defensive secondary. The Cowboys are finalizing a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire cornerback Joey Porter Jr. for a sixth-round pick in the 2027 NFL draft and a second-round pick in 2028, two people with knowledge of the trade told The Dallas Morning News on Wednesday night. It's the third trade the Cowboys and ...

Joey Porter Jr. of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts during the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium on Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh.

Joe Sargent/Getty Images North America/TNS

DALLAS — The Cowboys are injecting some life into their depleted defensive secondary.

The Cowboys are finalizing a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire cornerback Joey Porter Jr. for a sixth-round pick in the 2027 NFL draft and a second-round pick in 2028, two people with knowledge of the trade told The Dallas Morning News on Wednesday night.

It's the third trade the Cowboys and Steelers have made in the last two years. The Cowboys also acquired wide receiver George Pickens and offensive tackle Broderick Jones from the Steelers.

Porter projects as an immediate starter for the Cowboys' defense, which is off to a poor start in 2026 and has suffered a rash of injuries in the season's early going.

The 26-year-old Porter was a second-round pick by the Steelers in 2023. In three seasons with the Steelers, he picked off three passes. He has yet to play in 2026, however, as he's been dealing with a back issue.

Cornerback Cobie Durant (hamstring) likely won’t play Sunday against the Texans. Corner Shavon Revel Jr., who hurt both an ankle and knee while making a tackle against the Ravens, did not practice Wednesday. Caelen Carson and Ameer Speed could be options to start opposite DaRon Bland if Durant and Revel can’t play.

The Cowboys showed interest in Porter over the weekend after Porter, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, and the Steelers had reached an impasse over a possible extension earlier this season, opening the door to a potential trade.

Porter has not asked the Cowboys for an extension as part of the deal, a person familiar with the situation told The News.

The Cowboys have made several moves involving their 2027 draft picks. The Cowboys now own five picks: a first-round pick, a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick and two-seventh round picks. The first-round pick will be the lower value between two picks, the Cowboys' original pick and the pick acquired from the Green Bay Packers in the Micah Parsons deal. The higher value of those picks will head to the New York Jets as part of the compensation in the trade for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams last year.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been adamant since the start of training camp that he would be willing to trade future picks to help the team now. He said he was interested in making a substantive deal because he believed in this year's team.

After a 1-2 start, and after a lot of injuries to their secondary, Jones was willing to make that happen.