Joey Porter Jr. Changes Unappealing Jersey Number After Cowboys-Steelers Trade

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Joey Porter Jr. had a not-so-exciting jersey number upon his arrival after being traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers but that changed quickly.

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) reacts to the crowd against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Dallas Cowboys made major late-night headlines on Wednesday evening by landing cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Porter Jr. ends his contract stalemate with the Steelers and will now get a fresh start in Dallas with a chance to earn himself a new deal during the offseason.

But with a fresh start also comes a new jersey number for Porter Jr.

Joey Porter Jr. Quickly Changes Initial Cowboys Jersey Number

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) takes the field against the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

UPDATE: This article has been updated to address Porter Jr. changing his jersey number from No. 36 to No. 25 during his first day with the Cowboys. He originally wore No. 24 with the Steelers.

The updated Cowboys roster released Thursday originally had Porter Jr. wearing No. 36, per ESPN's Todd Archer.

However, that quickly changed, as Porter Jr. stepped onto the practice field at The Star wearing No. 25, a much more appealing number to the eye, especially for fans.

Archer made sure to emphasize that 36 was Porter Jr.'s number "at least for now anyway," signaling that there's an expectation for an attempt at changing it. It didn't take long for that to come to fruition.

Since Porter Jr. is already at the facility and set to make his practice debut with Dallas on Thursday, the Cowboys had to scramble to give him a new number before he takes the field.

It remains uncertain if Porter Jr. will make his Cowboys debut on Sunday against the Houston Texans. Either way, he'll be wearing No. 25 once he does.

At first, fans on social media made it clear they didn't like Porter Jr.'s No. 36 jersey. It isn't exactly the most appealing from a marketing perspective but now there's nothing to worry about. Cowboys fans can now hurry to the shelves to buy their No. 25 Porter Jr. jersey as soon as the merchandise becomes available.

Joey Porter Jr.'s Other Previous Jersey Numbers Are Already Taken

Porter Jr. wore No. 9 during his college career at Penn State and then No. 24 across his three years with the Steelers.

Naturally, those two would have been ideal options for Porter Jr. upon his arrival to Dallas on Thursday, but both numbers are already taken by Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin (No. 9) and safety Malik Hooker (No. 24).

It remains to be seen if Porter Jr. will take a similar approach that Von Miller did with the No. 40 jersey after joining Dallas during training camp. He made an unspecified deal with Cowboys fullback Hunter Luepke to take it.

Hooker wore No. 24 at Ohio State before taking No. 29 during his time with the Indianapolis Colts. Perhaps Porter Jr. can convince him with financial incentives to go back to No. 29 at some point.

But still without a new contract, maybe Porter Jr. is better off keeping that extra money in his pocket for now.

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