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Cowboys CB Joey Porter Jr. says ankle, not contract, is keeping him out before 49ers game
Cowboys cornerback Joey Porter Jr. says a foot injury, not his expiring deal, has kept him out, and his status for Sunday against the 49ers is unclear.
Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has pushed back on the idea that his upcoming free agency has anything to do with his recent time off the field. He says an ankle and heel injury is the only thing keeping him out of the Dallas Cowboys' lineup. He spoke Thursday after missing practice for the second day in a row, and his status for Sunday's home game against the San Francisco 49ers is still uncertain.
According to ESPN's Todd Archer, Porter dismissed the speculation as internet noise. "My goal is to win games and play football," he said. He first hurt the ankle in his Dallas debut, the 34-30 win at Houston, and kept playing through it until it got worse. He could not finish the 33-30 loss to Arizona and was inactive for last week's 27-23 win at Indianapolis. Coach Brian Schottenheimer said a heel problem has come with the ankle injury. Porter said his whole foot was hurting and that he needs to be able to run and cut before he returns, since his job is covering some of the fastest players on the field.
The doubts come partly from how his time in Pittsburgh ended, Yahoo Sports noted. Its report added that Porter sometimes asked to come out of games and left his last appearance limping. Dallas sent the Steelers a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick for him on Oct. 1. Since the trade he has missed one game with the flu and one with the foot injury, and his contract runs out after the season. Porter was working with resistance cords on Thursday and said he hoped to do more on Friday.
He is far from the only player on the injury report. The Dallas Morning News reported that tight end Jake Ferguson, running back Tyler Goodson and safety P.J. Locke have already been ruled out for Sunday. Receiver George Pickens (hamstring) and returner KaVontae Turpin (ribs) were limited this week. Edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku and receiver Jonathan Mingo are also dealing with ankle injuries.
What it means for San Francisco
Dallas is 4-5 and has alternated wins and losses for six straight games. The last two results were the shootout loss to Arizona and the narrow win in Indianapolis. The defense has given up 30 or more points four times this season, so losing a starting cornerback hurts against a 49ers offense with Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle. Yahoo Sports also pointed out that Dallas has not beaten San Francisco since 2020.
The market has the 49ers favored. On this site's board, which tracks 12 venues, Novig lists San Francisco at -194 on the moneyline and Dallas at +190. On the spread, Novig has the 49ers at -3.5 for -111 and the Cowboys at +3.5 for +108. The most generous number for Dallas is at bet365, which offers +4.5 at -117. The total is 55.5 at Novig, and BetMGM has the highest number at 56, with the under at -110. Sportsbook hold on the spread runs from 2.9% to 5.0%, so the venues are not far apart.
After Sunday, Dallas hosts Tennessee and then Philadelphia on Thanksgiving. The longer Porter is out, the more pressure falls on a thin secondary during an important stretch. More coverage is on our Cowboys page.