Former Dallas Cowboys Star Rips Joey Porter Jr. for Lack of Discipline

In need of help in the secondary, the Dallas Cowboys made a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers to bring in Joey Porter Jr. The former second-round pick made his debut in Week 4 against the Houston Texans, and shut down his side of the field.

Porter missed Week 5 due to an illness, but was back on the field in Week 6 and again had a strong showing, allowing zero receptions while breaking up two passes. He did draw a pass interference, and former Cowboys cornerback Pacman Jones believes that's something that will be an issue with Porter.

Jones was a guest on the Gridiron Podcast with Skip Bayless and Aqib Talib, and said that Porter will get two pass interference calls every game.

"He is a walking accident, bro. Every play he is gonna grab, he gonna get you two PIs every game," Jones said. He then added that Porter's physicality has always been an issues.

"He gonna give you two penalties down there every other week. If you look at the flags, how many flags he's had, I bet you in the last year and a half, he's in the top two," Jones said.

“Joey Porter Jr is a walking F***** Incident” 😭

Pacman Jones is going off on Joey 👀#dallascowboys #cowboys #joeyporterjr pic.twitter.com/424UeBnJDX
— Gridiron (@_gridironpod) October 24, 2026

Jones is correct in saying Porter will draw flags, even though his two per game number is overexagerated. Still, Porter has the most penalties by a defensive player since entering the league in 2023 (36). He also has the most defensive pass interference penalties called against him (14), according to ESPN Insights.

Joey Porter Jr. is still an upgrade for Cowboys

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. arrives to play the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Both Talib and Bayless were quick to come to Porter's defense. Talib said that he might be a physical cornerback, but added that he doesn't give up touchdowns. Bayless then said he's an upgrade over everything they had in Dallas.

Jones conceded that Porter is a good player, but also believes that he benefited from the talent around him in Pittsburgh.

"Joey's a good player. I'm not saying that. But you got to realize, Joey made a lot of plays when he had a lot of pieces around him in Pittsburgh. This defense in Dallas don't have no pieces."

Despite the criticism from Jones, Porter has been able to stand out in Dallas even without any true help around him. As Cowboys On SI's Mike Moraitis wrote, Porter has played 61 snaps in two games and has been targeted just four times and has yet to give up a reception. Porter has forced three incompletions and opposing quarterbacks have a rating of 39.6 when targeting him.

There's some truth to the claim from Jones, but the Cowboys will gladly take the occasional pass interference if it means they can actually get some stops on defense.

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