Dallas Cowboys cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is rejecting any suggestion that his recent absence from the lineup has anything to do with his contract situation, insisting instead that lingering ankle and heel injuries are the reason he has missed most of the past two weeks.
Porter, acquired by Dallas in a late-September trade, has appeared in four games for the Cowboys. He did not practice Thursday, the second straight day he was not a full participant, and was seen working with resistance bands during part of the session. He could take on more work Friday as he tries to be available Sunday when Dallas hosts the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10.
“I don’t even know where that narrative come from,” Porter said. “I get it. It’s the internet, but I really don’t pay no attention to that or really care for that. My goal is to win games and play football, and that’s what I want to do. So if there’s any chance I could get on the field, I’m going to get on the field and do what I do best.”
Porter’s Cowboys debut came against the Houston Texans on Oct. 4 and was cut short by an apparent ankle injury. He left the following week’s game against the Arizona Cardinals early after appearing to aggravate that injury, then was inactive the next week when Dallas played in Indianapolis against the Colts. He also missed Dallas’s Week 5 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of illness.
“Just to be able to run, be able to cut,” Porter said, describing how his ankle felt while running. “I play a position where I got to guard the most athletic people on the field, so if I can’t run, skip or jump, then I’m no use out there.”
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Porter has also been dealing with discomfort in his heel, a problem Porter did not downplay.
“The whole foot’s jacked up,” Porter said. “I was playing on it for a while, and it just kept getting worse to where I had to shut it down. I feel like all the guys are wanting me to get back. They know what I could do when I’m out there on the field. I bring a presence out there that is a game-changing type presence. I’m just trying to get back out there as fast as possible.”
Porter, 26, is scheduled to become a free agent after this season. The Cowboys currently sit in second place in the NFC East, one game behind the New York Giants in the win column. The Giants open Week 10 on Thursday night against the Washington Commanders.
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