Dallas Cowboys Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Misses Game Due to Illness

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Joey Porter Jr. missed Thursday night's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium due to a sudden illness. ProFootballTalk, Yahoo Sports Top, and Yahoo NFL all reported that the late ruling came shortly before team inactives were due. [1][2][3]

Yahoo Sports Top reported that Porter practiced fully all week and carried no injury designation on Wednesday's health report. Yahoo NFL reported that ESPN reporter Todd Archer confirmed Porter's absence on X, noting that the player suffered from a bad virus that caused vomiting ahead of what would have been his second game with Dallas. [2][3]

The unexpected withdrawal led analysts to speculate about his motives given his ongoing search for a long-term contract extension. ProFootballTalk, Yahoo Sports Top, and Yahoo NFL reported that Prime Video analyst Richard Sherman questioned the illness during Thursday night's pregame broadcast, comparing it to a back injury that previously kept Porter off the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers until he was traded. [1][4][5][6][7]

Porter was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft out of Penn State University. He played three seasons at Penn State before entering the league, following his father, former NFL linebacker Joey Porter, who was drafted by Pittsburgh in 1999. [13][14]