Although few were willing to call it what it was, it’s obvious that former Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. hadn’t played in Week 1, Week 2, or Week 3 for the Steelers because he hadn’t gotten a new contract.

With the Steelers already ruling Porter out for Thursday night’s Week 4 game at Cleveland, it’s possible the Cowboys will rule him in for Sunday at Houston.

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Via Adam Schefter of ESPN, there is “a chance” Porter will play on Sunday. Said Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram not long after the news of the trade broke, Porter will play on Sunday “as long as the back feels good.”

With Porter apparently accepting that the trade to the Cowboys won’t include a new contract, there’s no reason to use the back as an excuse to not play. If/when he does play, it will confirm that the entire back/conditioning thing was all about getting a new contract from the Steelers.

Not that confirmation is needed. It’s obvious that his training-camp hold-in had extended into the regular season. The Steelers opted to take the path of least resistance. The Cowboys likely won’t have to come up with a strategy to get Porter to suit up and play.

From Porter’s perspective, that’s fine. There’s a flaw in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that works to the benefit of the players. Given that the CBA is loaded up with so many team-friendly terms, why shouldn’t the players use anything they can to get what they want?