Cowboys' key in-season acquisition Joey Porter Jr. insists two-week absence is unrelated to contract future
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has missed the majority of the past two weeks, but he insists his absence is unrelated to his contract future.
Porter Jr. has appeared in only four games since the Dallas Cowboys acquired him in a late-September trade. His absence from practice this week, marked by a second straight day of limited participation, has fueled speculation about a potential contract standoff.
The 26-year-old cornerback, who is set to become a free agent after the season, addressed the rumors directly. He dismissed the narrative as noise and emphasized his singular focus on winning games and playing football.
"I don't even know where that narrative come from," Porter said. "I get it. It's the internet, but I really don't pay no attention to that or really care for that. My goal is to win games and play football, and that's what I want to do."
Porter's debut against the Houston Texans on Oct. 4 was cut short by an apparent ankle injury. He left the following week's game against the Arizona Cardinals early after aggravating the same issue. He was inactive for the Week 5 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The ankle problem is compounded by discomfort in his heel, which he described as jacked up. He explained that he had been playing on the injury for a while, and it had worsened to the point where he had to shut it down.
Porter's absence is a significant blow to a Cowboys defense that entered the week in second place in the NFC East. The team trails the New York Giants by one game in the win column.
Return to practice
Porter did not practice on Thursday but could take part in more work on Friday as he works toward a potential return against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
"Just to be able to run, be able to cut," Porter said about how his ankle felt while he was running. "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."
The Cowboys acquired Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers in a move that Jerry Jones went all in on, hoping it would bolster the team's Super Bowl push. His presence is viewed as a game-changing type presence by his teammates.
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