The Dallas Cowboys made one of the biggest moves of the week when they acquired cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the early reaction inside the locker room has been overwhelmingly positive.
Rookie safety Caleb Downs already knew what Porter could bring to a defense before the two became teammates. Now that Porter is in Dallas, Downs has gotten an up-close look at the newest addition to the Cowboys’ secondary.
“I thought he was a great player,” Downs said. “He’s played really well in his first couple of years. As somebody that was coming into the league, definitely noticed that.”
Caleb Downs likes what he sees from Joey Porter Jr
Porter has wasted little time getting acclimated to his new surroundings.
Despite joining Dallas in the middle of the week, Porter has been locked in during his first practices with the Cowboys as he learns Christian Parker’s defensive system.
Downs has noticed that approach immediately.
“Coming here today, he’s been locked in and just trying to learn everything that he can,” Downs said. “He’s out there playing ball.”
The Cowboys are hoping Porter’s talent can help stabilize a secondary that has dealt with injuries early in the season. Dallas surrendered a costly late completion to Baltimore’s Zay Flowers in Week 3, and the addition of a proven outside corner gives Parker another weapon to work with.
“As [Christian Parker] said in his interview, you always need good talent,” Downs said. “He’s good talent. I’m sure he’s going to do his thing on the field.”
Christian Parker explains why Porter fits
One question surrounding the trade was how Porter would fit into a Cowboys defense that frequently uses zone coverage.
Porter built his reputation in Pittsburgh primarily as a physical man-to-man corner, but Parker doesn’t believe that creates a problem.
The defensive coordinator explained that modern zone concepts often require corners to transition into man coverage based on the route distribution and responsibilities.
“A lot of zones in the world that we live in are pattern match zones,” Parker said. “So once it gets past a certain point, you’re playing man.”
Parker added that corners are often responsible for the opponent’s No. 1 receiver, regardless of whether Dallas is playing quarters, Cover 3 or true man coverage.
For Porter, that means the Cowboys can tailor his responsibilities to maximize what he does best.
“More times than not, he’ll be matched up appropriately,” Parker said.
Downs, Barham emerging as defensive leaders
While Porter works his way into the defense, Dallas’ other young defensive additions have already made an impact.
Downs and fellow rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham currently lead the Cowboys in tackles, with 21 and 20, respectively. Downs also leads the team with one sack, while Barham has four tackles for loss and has taken over the green-dot responsibilities.
Downs isn’t surprised by the early production from either rookie.
“Any high-level athlete expects to go out and make plays,” Downs said. “This is what I expected to do and just continue to improve.”
Now the Cowboys will look to see what their young defensive core can do alongside Porter when they travel to Houston to face the Texans on Sunday.
Dallas enters the matchup at 1-2 and needs a victory to avoid falling to 1-3. With Porter potentially making his Cowboys debut, the defense could have another important piece ready to make an immediate impact.
