Lions Urged to Trade for Steelers Star Joey Porter Jr.
· Yahoo Sports
The Detroit Lions gave up 410 passing yards in Sunday’s 31-30 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints. At some point in the 2026 NFL season, general manager Brad Holmes may have to trade for a cornerback to fix the defense, and one name already being floated is Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
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Detroit’s defense did hold the Saints to 91 yards on 25 carries (3.64 yards per carry) and one rushing touchdown. Tyler Shough threw for all 410 of those yards on 56 attempts.
Mike Payton Says the Lions Should Trade for Joey Porter Jr.
Porter was inactive on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons with a back injury after spending training camp on the physically unable to perform list. He is in the final year of his rookie contract, the Steelers do not negotiate extensions during the season, and per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, Pittsburgh is willing to trade him for a premium draft pick. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2026 NFL season.
A to Z Sports writer Mike Payton covers the Lions, and he thinks Detroit should make the call to Pittsburgh after the team gave up 410 passing yards to the Saints. Payton wrote:
“Was Detroit’s secondary horrible in the season opener? No, I don’t think it was. I think a lot of Lions fans might come out of that game and believe it was, and they’ll point to the stats. But look at what the Lions did to the Saints’ run game. When you shut down the run like that, all the opponent can do is pass. That’s exactly what the Lions defense wants to be. They want to stop you on the ground and make you one-dimensional. Of course that’s going to inflate the passing numbers.
DJ Reed played a good game. Rock Ya-Sin played a good enough game. But do I think the Lions would be in a better situation with Ya-Sin coming off the bench and Joey Porter next to Reed? Absolutely. 100%.”
Porter is 26 years old. It would be an interesting risk for the Lions to make a move like this for a player who needs a new contract.
A Short Week Against Josh Allen Raises the Stakes
The Lions play next on the road Thursday night against the Buffalo Bills. If Detroit’s secondary gets shelled again by Josh Allen, fans are going to call for Holmes to make a trade at cornerback.
Porter would be an interesting name for the Lions to pursue. Another would be Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward, but that would never happen and seems like a pipe dream.