Five years ago, the Los Angeles Rams traded franchise quarterback Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-round pick to the Detroit Lions for franchise QB Matthew Stafford. The Rams ended up winning the Super Bowl that upcoming season.
They have been one of the NFL’s most aggressive franchises ever since, prioritizing immediate impact over draft picks.
Wednesday night’s trade for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is the latest example that the Dallas Cowboys are moving more in that direction.
That’s particularly interesting when you think back to the Netflix docuseries on Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys.”
He hasn’t been as much of a gambler in recent years.
A scene in that series captured a moment before a training camp practice with the Rams in 2023 when Jones said the following to Los Angeles team president Kevin Demoff:
“I don’t have the balls to put it all out there the way y’all did on that quarterback,” he said while laughing. “I won’t do that.”
It appears Jones is getting back to being a little more of the “gambler” he once was with his franchise.
Jones said during his Friday morning interview on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas that trading a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick for Porter is a “belief in where we are and what we can do right now.”
Jones turns 84 in less than two weeks. As he has said several times in recent years, he doesn’t have time to have a bad time. That’s why at the start of training camp, Jones told reporters he was open to making a “substantive” move that included significant draft capital to improve the roster. Adding Porter is a clear sign that he is not as concerned about next season.
Cowboys prove they are ‘all in’ by trading for Joey Porter Jr.
Jon Machota
Because of the moves the Cowboys have recently made, they only have four picks — a first, second, fourth and seventh — in next year’s NFL Draft.
But Jones feels as if it’s worth the risk, especially after how successful last year’s trade for star wide receiver George Pickens was.
Jones said Friday that he is hoping the trade for Porter can have similar results.
“That’s pretty high expectations,” he said, “but you have to have them to make a deal like this.”
And a deal like that makes everyone in the building take notice.
“To make a win-now trade, it means a lot,” Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said. “It just shows you that this whole organization is on the same page. You’re thankful when you got guys at the top, the owners, making those decisions and not waiting.”
Porter has been practicing this week in hopes of playing Sunday against the Houston Texans. The fourth-year corner is talented enough to make an immediate impact even on a short week. In his first three seasons with Pittsburgh, he allowed only one touchdown catch in coverage, and that was his rookie season, to a running back.
While Porter has only three career interceptions, the stat that stands out most is 57.2, which was the passer rating opposing quarterbacks had last season when throwing in Porter’s direction. Only two cornerbacks who started at least 10 games had a lower number.
The Cowboys had one of the NFL’s worst defenses last season. They’ve had one of the worst this year through three games. Adding one player probably won’t fix all of their problems.
But Jones seems to be more willing than in previous years to make notable moves to help immediately. And he might not be done.
“Everything is fluid,” he said Friday.
The gambler appears to be back.