FRISCO — The Cowboys saw potential in cornerback Kelvin Joseph when drafting him in 2021.
To this day, they still do.
But that wasn’t enough for the former second-round pick to make the 53-man roster. Joseph was traded Tuesday to the Miami Dolphins, a person familiar with the situation said. While a packed Dallas secondary reduces the decision to less than a shock, Joseph’s talents, draft pedigree and demonstrated ability on special teams nonetheless make this one of the Cowboys’ most notable moves.
Cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, a former first-round pick, was acquired in the swap.
Joseph impressed on special teams opposite cornerback C.J. Goodwin, who has considered Joseph the best gunner he’s worked with in his NFL career. Goodwin was among the teammates who noticed Joseph expand his game on defense in recent months when training at nickel cornerback instead of just on the boundary.
Joseph made an impression.
”His tremendous growth,” Goodwin said. “His willingness to get better, honestly. You’ve seen a big jump from last year to this year. I think special teams is helping him a lot, getting his confidence up. Once he got that confidence, he had it rolling on defense this year. He took so many great strides. He’s really a good player. He’s one of the most talented guys I’ve been around, just raw talent.
”He’s super strong. Super fast. That guy is a great NFL guy. He is on his way to getting it. Once he gets it, man, he’s going to be one of the best players in the league, honestly, in my opinion.”
Cuts to the 2021 draft class were expected to be the main story to the Cowboys’ roster reduction. Indeed, others the team waived included fourth-round linebacker Jabril Cox and sixth-round nose tackle Quinton Bohanna.
Igbinoghene, 23, was the No. 30 overall pick in 2020 out of Auburn, and spent his first three seasons in Miami. Last season, he appeared in nine games (two starts) and recorded an interception and three pass deflections.
More to come on this story.
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