Just as Houston Texans fans were settling in after seeing Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins active for the first time in two weeks on the practice field, the Dallas Cowboys pulled off a late-night eye-opener of a trade that immediately puts Houston's receiving group on notice (because of course they would).
At the eleventh hour--both figuratively and almost quite literally--the Cowboys completed a secondary-boosting trade last night to acquire Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick. Before Collins has even been confirmed for his on-field return for this Sunday, Houston's offense already knows that it'll have to contend with a defender in Porter who had the third-lowest passer rating allowed amongst Steelers defensive backs in 2025 (66.0), along with the third-lowest catch rate (53%) and the second-lowest amount of yards of separation allowed to pass catchers (2.6).
Regardless of Collins' return or not, Porter is a sticky defensive back who can cause problems for any offense. This is especially true in Houston's case, who currently employs a litany of wide receivers who arguably are only on the field due to the bevvy of injuries to players like Collins, Jayden Higgins (torn ACL) and Tank Dell (recovery). If Collins is truly back, he'll have to deal with the same cornerback who was tasked with guarding him in last season's AFC Wildcard game in Acrisure Stadium.
Nico Collins and the Houston Texans now have to deal with Joey Porter again after trade acquisition
In last year's playoff faceoff between the Texans and Steelers, Collins and Porter did battle throughout the contest. Collins left the game late in the third quarter after a concussion, but even still, Porter had a decent night in coverage against Collins and the rest of the receiving group.
Porter finished his night with a stat line of:
- Seven times targeted (second-most)
- Three receptions allowed (second-most among Steelers defensive backs with 20 or more coverage snaps)
- 26 receiving yards allowed (second-most among Steelers defensive backs with 20 or more coverage snaps, Brandin Echols was first with 132)
- Zero touchdowns allowed
- 53.3 passer rating allowed (second-lowest among Steelers defensive backs with 20 or more coverage snaps)
On the flip side, Collins was held to only three catches (on four targets) for a measly 12 yards and zero touchdowns. Collins' concussion aside, it was a night to forget for any Houston pass catcher not named Christian Kirk.
This time around, Collins and Porter will do battle in the first meeting between Houston and Dallas since the Texans' dismantled the Cowboys in 2024 to the tune of a 34-10 victory in week 11 of that campaign. That was also a return game for Collins, as he'd missed the previous five games due to a hamstring injury. Against Dallas, Collins tied the team-lead for catches and receiving yards on the night with four catches for 54 yards and zero touchdowns (with Tank Dell).
With both teams looking to rebound from disappointing losses in week three, this matchup will be circled as being one of the hugest determining factors for which Texas team will walk away victories by the final whistle.
If Collins can explode this time around against Porter, Houston can finally get that elusive first win of the season as they embark on righting their ship for the second consecutive season.
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