The Week 3 game against the Ravens made it clear that the Dallas Cowboys need to further bolster their defensive lineup. To fix the struggles in their pass defense, Jerry Jones decided to trade for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. from the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, not everyone seemed happy with the trade.
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“Jerry Jerry Jerry… you can’t buy a good team as weird as it may sound lol,” former cornerback Asante Samuel wrote in an X post.
The Cowboys had a questionable defense in the 2025 season, putting them around the bottom of the league for yards allowed. To ensure a better lineup in the 2026 season, Jones and Co. acquired names like Caleb Downs, Malachi Lawrence, and Devin Moore. Earlier in January, the Cowboys acquired Christian Parker as their new defensive coordinator.
However, Dallas’ defensive struggles were hard to ignore in Week 3. The unit gave up 378 yards, failed to record a sack, and allowed 192 rushing yards in the loss. With those issues exposed, Jones moved to strengthen the defense by bringing in a new addition.
Dallas got Porter in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2028 NFL Draft and a sixth-round pick in 2027. He can fill in for Cobie Durant, who is expected to remain on IR for Week 4 due to a hamstring strain. But according to Samuel, that’s not enough.
Samuel previously took to the Say What Needs To Be Said podcast and slammed the Cowboys for their struggles against the New York Giants in Week 1. Of course, it was also the time when he took a shot at the rich franchise owners like Jones.
“One thing I learned about playing in the NFL, no matter how much money these owners have, you can’t buy a good team,” Samuel said. “The Cowboys are the same sorry, undisciplined team they have been for years. Soft in the middle and barely able to hold the edge on the outside.”
He further dragged Dak Prescott for likely making “tons of mistakes” but also making it “look good at the end” while fighting for a comeback. Samuel claimed that Prescott won’t play like a clutch quarterback who can win championships for the Cowboys.
“That’s who they are,” he argued.
“Jerry Jones spent a lot of money to get the same results. Time to retire bud,” Samuel wrote on X while responding to the extract from his talk show.
But in the second week of the season, the Cowboys turned the story around with a 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders. And even though they didn’t win the Week 3 game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Cowboys showcased a match that the crowd in Rio de Janeiro certainly enjoyed. They could have even won the game had the Ravens failed in their seven-second field goal quest.
Meanwhile, Samuel also had a few words for Porter back in August. In August, Porter had been in a contract dispute with the Steelers for the past few months. He had been unable to structure an extension for his $9.62 million, four-year contract with Pittsburgh. The negotiations kept extending and remained unresolved till the Week 1. That’s when the Steelers dropped the negotiations due to their policy that prevents contract talks during the regular season. And according to Samuel, there was a better way for Porter.
“I don’t think [Porter is] handling the situation the best way, not going to practice,” Samuel said. “You’ve gotta know when to read the room and who you’re dealing with. These people seem like they really get offended over there in Pittsburgh. They really are in tune to what’s going on and their players and who their players are and paying their players. They do things a certain way, they don’t just like to break bread.”
Nevertheless, Samuel made it clear that Jones cannot buy the NFL’s respect simply by acquiring big names. The Cowboys must finally prove they have the discipline to win when it matters most.