The Dallas Cowboys are 1-2 on the season entering Week 4, but with a real chance to still win the NFC East, they've gone out and made a big move.

Late Wednesday night, the Cowboys acquired Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers to improve their defense in a major way. His addition should really help. There's no denying that.

However, there are a few different reasons why this trade could wind up being a mistake. ESPN's Ben Solak, ESPN's Todd Archer, and NFL insider Jordan Schultz all made different points that culminate in what could be a huge mistake for Jerry Jones.

Why Cowboys might've made a mistake trading for Joey Porter Jr.

For starters, Porter was only available because he was in a contract standoff with the Steelers. But, according to Schultz, "The Cowboys will not be immediately extending Joey Porter Jr.'s contract."

The Cowboys' plan with Porter is for the star cornerback to play this season and "make an impact on a team that has Super Bowl aspirations in the NFC." Schultz continued, noting how a new contract will "take care of itself from there."

This report reveals clearly that the Cowboys are not going to sign Porter to an extension just yet, the entire reason for why he was holding out of the Steelers.

While he has a better chance of landing a deal from the Cowboys mid-season than the Steelers, Porter is still being asked to play without a deal. That's a risk for both parties, and it's only scratching the surface of what could go wrong here.

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Archer points out that the Cowboys have "20 players set to be unrestricted free agents in 2027." That's a lot, but the real concern is that Porter, DeMarvion Overshown, George Pickens, and a few others are all represented by David Mulugheta.

The Cowboys already had some contract drama to figure out, and Porter's addition makes things a lot more complicated. They only have one franchise tag, so the Cowboys might end up losing two of those big-time free agents, unless they get a deal done.

Last, and certainly not least, is a problem dating back to the Micah Parsons trade. Dallas shipped Parsons out, avoiding needing to pay him $46.5 million per year. In return, from the Green Bay Packers, they got Kenny Clark and two first-round picks.

As Solak points out, "They've now traded away a Round 1 and two Round 2 picks for Quinnen Williams and Joey Porter JR., whom they will pay combined (assuming JPJ extension) ~$65.3M per year."

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If the Cowboys do sign Porter to an extension, they will likely be paying nearly $20 million more to have Williams, Porter, and an extra first-round pick as opposed to just having Parsons.

While Parsons is hurt to begin the 2026 season with an ACL injury, the Cowboys' defense has taken a nosedive since his departure. Now, the Cowboys are spending a ton of capital, both in terms of draft picks and money, to try to fix this defense.

Porter is uncertain about signing a long-term deal. Add in that the Cowboys have a lot of key players hitting free agency after 2026, and the team's already made a major commitment to fixing this defense, and Dallas could be in a bit of a pickle going forward.

It's too soon to call this trade a mistake, as the Cowboys could sign him to an extension, and his addition could be a major upgrade for the defense. But there is a very clear path to this trade becoming a failure.

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