Joey Porter Jr. Trade Rumor Gives Buffalo Bills Chance to Bolster Secondary

Entering Week 1 of the regular season, the Buffalo Bills still have a few areas of concern. One of those is cornerback, where they still have questions outside of Christian Benford. If they did want to shore things up, one possibility would be to call the Pittsburgh Steelers about Joey Porter Jr.

Throughout the offseason, there were rumors that Porter could be on his way out of the Steel City amidst a contract standoff. Now, Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport are reporting that Porter is unexpected to play in the season opener. That's led to more speculation that he could be on the trade block.

If Buffalo is serious about contending this season, they should be one of the teams in the market for Porter, who has developed into one of the league's top cover corners. This past season, Porter earned an overall PFF grade of 67.6 which was 36th our of 114 qualified cornerbacks. His coverage grade, however, was even more impressive as he finished 20th with a grade of 74.1.

Could Bills make move for Joey Porter Jr.?

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. reacts against the Buffalo Bills. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Buffalo might not have much cap space, entering the regular season with just under $2.4 million, according to Over The Cap. That's enough to fit his current cap hit, which is $1.748 million. The real question is whether they would be able to figure out a way to keep him happy.

RIght now, Porter's issue is that he wants a massive payday, and general manager Brandon Beane would have a hard time making that work. It's not impossible, but Beane hasn't been the most aggressive, even though he seems to make a lot of phone calls when people are available.

There were reports that he "checked in" on Vita Vea and Myles Garrett during the offseason, but talks never went far. That being the case, Beane is likely to call about Porter, but expecting things to go beyond that might be wishful thinking.

Joey Porter Jr. comes from strong NFL bloodlines

Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If Porter's name sounds familiar for long-time NFL fans, it's because he's the son of former NFL linebacker Joey Porter Sr.

The elder Porter spent 13 years in the league, eight of which were with the Steelers. He also played for the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals, finishing with 689 tackles and 98 sacks. His son is well on his way to becoming just as big of a star, although his time with the Steelers might be coming to an end.

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