NFL Player News

The Saints moved into the 41st spot and sent picks 45, 168, and 190 back to the Packers to land McKinstry (5'11/196). McKinstry excelled as a two-way CB/WR and state-champion basketball player who scored over 1,000 points in his high school career. McKinstry pulled off the rare Alabama feat of starting six games as a true freshman (479 snaps) but proved the decision to be warranted by being named to the Freshman All-SEC Team. The five-star prodigy fulfilled his potential in 2022, leading the SEC with 16 PBU while earning First Team All-SEC and Second Team All-American honors. PFF graded him above the 75th percentile in every relevant phase of the game, with Kool-Aid allowing a scorching 2.6 yards per target and a 36% completion rate. Arguably the 2024 NFL Draft CB1 heading into this season, McKinstry allowed 37 receptions on 80 targets in 2022. He managed to cut that number in half to 19 catches allowed on 39 targets while ranking fifth nationally with .35 receiving yards allowed per coverage snap. A right foot ailment shelved him for the Combine, but he ran a strong 4.47s 40-yard dash (78th%) at his pro day, though a pair of uninspiring jumping tests and no agility testing means we have an incomplete athletic profile to work with from a testing perspective. Is more instinctive in zone diagnosing route concepts as opposed to being a pugnacious in-your-face man corner. McKinstry profiles as a solid all-around player who doesn’t possess supersonic long speed but has a firm grasp of the nuances of the position and also can return kicks.

Porter Jr. missed the first three games of the year with a back issue. The Steelers also listed conditioning under his name on the injury report and even took the back injury off entirely at one point. All of that is to say that his absences were ultimately contract-related, which everyone knew in the first place. He was ruled out for Thursday’s game by Pittsburgh, but is eligible to play for the Cowboys this week if they can get him up to speed on the playbook ahead of Sunday’s game. He will likely play on specific packages if he does suit up, but that would still be an upgrade for a banged-up Dallas secondary.

Schultz added that the plan is to have him play first and “the contract will take care of itself from there.” That’s not exactly what Porter Jr. was looking to get out of this move, but it also points to the fact that his relationship with the Steelers was simply fractured beyond repair. Pittsburgh’s somewhat archaic rules around contract negotiations drove a wedge between them and their star corner. They don’t extend players during the season and, with rare exceptions, they do not guarantee money beyond the first year of a new deal. If Porter Jr. suits up next week and puts a few good games on tape, we suspect the Cowboys will feel comfortable giving him the contract he wanted from the Steelers.

Mims went down with a foot injury in Week 1 and hasn’t played or practiced since. A full session on Wednesday means he’s good to go for Week 4. He could push Troy Franklin for the WR4 job, but his biggest contributions will come in the return game.

In exchange for Porter, the Cowboys will send the Steelers a second-round selection as well as a conditional sixth-round pick. Pelissero noted in his blog that trade talks between Dallas and Pittsburgh had picked up over the past few weeks, and the deal will soon become official. Porter has yet to play a snap in 2026 as he has dealt with a back injury, and also a contract dispute. The 26-year-old is one of the more talented corners in football, and Dallas has struggled considerably to stop the pass over the first three weeks. Assuming good health, Porter should be a vast improvement over what the Cowboys have gotten out of their corners to begin 2026.

Shipley was limited by his foot issue in Week 3, and received just two targets in the passing game with no carries. With Tank Bigsby a full-go during Wednesday’s estimated session, Shipley is looking at a limited amount of touches even if he can go in Week 4.

Price was able to play in Week 3 despite the chest ailment, although he was benched for most of the first half after giving up a second fumble of the season. If Price can’t go, George Holani and Emmanuel Wilson — not necessarily in that order — would be the replacements, and are likely to be involved regardless.

It’s less than ideal news for the Eagles’ every-down ‘backer with the team on a short week against the Rams. Teams seem to be getting players through the protocol faster than ever of late, but the Eagles’ six-day work week has play-making Baun firmly on the wrong side of questionable.

This is the same routine Smith followed last week before ultimately suiting up against the Bears on Monday Night Football. Perhaps the pattern changes with the Eagles on a short week against the Rams, but we would fully expect Smith to be out there as a high-end WR2 this weekend.

That leaves Goedert extremely likely to miss his second consecutive contest when the Eagles host the Rams this Sunday. Zach Ertz was Goedert’s feel-good Week 3 fill-in, but Ertz’s 38 percent snap share ended up producing one catch on two targets. With this entire offense looking rather sluggish at the moment, Ertz does not have TE2 streamer appeal.

He was eventually added to the injury report as “limited” with an ankle issue. Per Rhim, Mitchell told reporters in the locker room he was okay. Mitchell was not initially on the injury report. This obviously flared up during practice but he didn’t have it looked at until after the report was posted. We will get more clarity on the situation tomorrow. Mitchell’s role grew in Week 3 with 11 touches, but a foot or ankle injury would likely limit any further progress.