Joey Porter Jr.: foot injury, not contract, keeps him out

Thursday was another day in street clothes for the corner Dallas traded a 2nd-round pick to get.

Porter was at the facility, just not on the field. When he talked afterward, he didn't make it sound like a small thing. Brian Schottenheimer has called it a heel issue that comes with the ankle. Porter's version was simpler: it's the whole foot, he played through it for weeks, and it kept getting worse until he had to shut it down.

Clarence Hill Jr

@clarencehilljr

Cowboys CB Joey Porter on whether is a foot, ankle or heel injury keeping him off the field: “The whole foot jacked up. I was playing on it for a while and it just kept getting worse to where I had to shut it down. So I feel like all the guys are wanting me to get back. They know what I could do when I'm out there on the field. I bring a presence out there that is a game changing type presence. So I'm just trying to get back out there as fast as possible.” What can't you do? What do you need to do before you feel comfortable getting back out there? “Just to be able to run, be able to cut. I play a position where I got to guard the most athletic people on the field. So if I can't run, skip, or jump, then I'm no use out there.” How did you initially hurt it? “Tweaked it Houston game and I just kept playing on it. And my 70% looks good, that's what I think. So it just got worse as I kept playing on it. kept playing on it. And my 70% looks good, that's what I think. So it just got worse as I kept playing on it.”

Clarence Hill Jr

@clarencehilljr

Joey Porter did not practice today t.co/r5CJDCRMJ0

The timeline backs him up. Dallas got Porter from Pittsburgh on October 1 for a 2027 6th-round pick and a 2028 2nd-rounder, and per ESPN he got hurt on October 4 against Houston in his first game as a Cowboy. Since then he's missed a game against Tampa Bay with an illness, couldn't finish the loss to Arizona and was inactive against Indianapolis last week. That's 3 full games played since the trade. When you pay a 2nd-rounder for a guy, you need a lot more than that.

The reason anyone is asking about his contract is that Porter is set to be an unrestricted free agent when the season ends. A guy on an expiring deal sitting out with an injury nobody can see is going to get side-eye from fans. Porter shot that down directly.

ProFootballTalk

@ProFootballTalk

Joey Porter Jr.: Injuries keeping me off field, not my contract situation. t.co/MubYbbLapb

"I don't even know where that narrative come from," Porter said, according to ESPN. Fair enough. A guy who says he brings a game-changing presence also has every reason to get on the field and prove it before free agency. Sitting out doesn't help his market. Playing well does. The incentives line up with him wanting to play.

The bar he set is simple: he needs to run and cut without the foot giving out. He wants more work at Friday's practice so he can play Sunday against San Francisco. If he's limited Friday, he has a real shot. If he's out of practice again, plan on another week without him in a Dallas secondary that needs all the help it can get against the 49ers.