After sitting out the Steelers‘ first three games, Joey Porter Jr. was ready to go just days after the Cowboys acquired him from Pittsburgh. The cornerback made his Dallas debut in a win over the Texans, making the start for a defense that desperately needed the help.
Porter’s home debut, however, will have to wait. The Cowboys made him inactive for “Thursday Night Football” against the Buccaneers in a surprise decision just 90 minutes before kickoff.
Without Porter, a Cowboys defense that has struggled in both wins and losses will be down another key player against undrafted rookie QB Jalon Daniels.
Here’s what you need to know about Porter’s absence.
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Why Joey Porter Jr. is inactive
Porter was listed as inactive with a illness Thursday night. While the Cowboys didn’t offer more details, NFL Network’s Jane Slater reported Porter was “very sick” after arriving at AT&T Stadium and was sent home.
So I talked to another #Cowboys team source who just told me Joey Porter Jr. was “very sick” when he arrived to the facility and the team sent him home.
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) October 8, 2026
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Porter was “vomiting with a bad virus.” Porter appeared to look unwell as he entered the stadium:
Joey Porter Jr. is set to make his Cowboys home debut https://t.co/bUOEkMhux7
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) October 8, 2026
Amazon Prime Video’s James Palmer reported Porter had been expected to play more snaps after being eased into action against the Texans, but that progress will have to wait.
Porter missed all of Steelers training camp with what was labeled a back injury, but it became apparent his absence was at least partly related to a contract stalemate with the franchise. The Steelers traded Porter to Dallas on Sept. 30.
Cowboys CB depth chart
| Rank | CB1 | CB2 | NB |
| 1 | Joey Porter Jr. | DaRon Bland | Reddy Steward |
| 2 | Cobie Durant | Ameer Speed | |
| 3 | Shavon Revel Jr. | Caelen Carson |
With Porter down, the Cowboys could ask Cobie Durant and Ameer Speed to step into larger roles. The Dallas Morning News’ Joseph Hoyt reports Speed could be in line for a large role after playing a career-high number of snaps against the Texans.
