The Detroit Lions were not able to land one of the top available cornerbacks and frustrations are mounting, as Kelvin Sheppard's pass defense is the worst in the National Football League.
Among the critics of general manager Brad Holmes not being able to land a player that would significantly upgrade the defense is 97.1 The Ticket sports talk radio host Mike Valenti.
He expressed his views earlier this week after witnessing Porter Jr. perform well in coverage against Packers wideout Christian Watson.
"Man, you really f'd up not getting Joey Porter Jr. Watching last night really encapsulates it," said Valenti. "And again, I think the dimwitted take would be, 'Well, Dallas isn't winning.' Their defense didn't cost them that game last night. Joey Porter Jr. locked up on Christian Watson, who's been a top five receiver this year. That's a big player. That's a 6'3, tall, rangy, big-bodied receiver. Porter was tasked with playing Watson most of the night with no help.
"Watson had his quietest game of the year. Multiple PBU's. Yes, there was one penalty, but Joey Porter Jr., they were helping everyone else, not him."
Additional Lions NFL Insider Analysis: Packers Enter Week 7 With Josh Jacobs, Without Micah Parsons
Against the Cowboys, Watson secured only three receptions for 64 yards, below his season average entering the Week 5 contest.
"You put that guy on this Lions defense, allowing D.J. Reed to have help. Man, what a difference it would make. You really f'd up," Valenti said. "That was the guy. That's the best corner that's going to get dealt. That's the guy. And you saw it living color last night. You did not lose that game because Joey Porter Jr. got dusted. They didn't. And again, a corner can only do so much. The pieces have to work together. The two games he's played for the Cowboys, I think he had poopy pants last week. He had to leave the game sick. He's been excellent. You f'd up."
It has been a completely smooth transition for the former Steelers defender. An illness forced him to miss a game already for the NFC East squad.
"I really just couldn't hold anything down," he said, via the Cowboys team website. "You know, I just kept throwing up. I try to fight through. I tried to take a nap before the game, just to shake it off, but I just couldn't hold in deep down. So, that's when they made the call to send me home."
Despite his best efforts to attempt to play, he was unable to suit up against the Buccaneers.
"On my way to the game, I was throwing up outside of my Uber," Porter explained. "It was brutal. I'm not gonna lie. You go into the week thinking you're gonna get more of a workload, and you're ready to go, and then that's ultimately what doesn't happen. It was very frustrating. I was prepared to play all week. My mindset was on playing, the mindset was to get the dub, and obviously I didn't get to do that, and we didn't get the dub. I was pretty pissed."
For more comprehensive Detroit Lions coverage and NFL insider analysis, follow us on X, @detroitpodcast, head on over to our Facebook page and give it a like, follow us on TikTok, subscribe to the Detroit Lions On SI Lone Wolves YouTube Channel for daily videos, news, member-exclusive content.
Add us as a preferred source on Google