As the Dallas Cowboys prepare to travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers, a former Cowboy suddenly became available.
A former second round pick that was recently traded away is now a free agent after being released by the Miami Dolphins.
Kelvin Joseph didn’t work out in Miami, but could a reunion with the Cowboys be in the cards?
Before the “there’s a reason he was traded” crowd shows up to my front door with torches and pitchforks, circumstances have changed.
Joseph was traded straight up for Noah Igbinoghene, another cornerback who couldn’t get over the threshold with the Dolphins.
With Dallas, Igbinoghene has been on the gameday roster bubble throughout the season, appearing in only four games.
Injuries to All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs and special teams standout C.J. Goodwin have created an opportunity to bring back a familiar face.
Based on social media, I can tell I’m pretty much on an island with this take, but please give me the opportunity to convince you why bringing Joseph back is good for the Cowboys.
Special Teams
Like I mentioned above, special teams ace C.J. Goodwin suffered an injury that now has him ruled out for the entire season.
Goodwin was yet another casualty of the beating that Dallas took at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.
The Cowboys didn’t only lose on the scoreboard. They also lost both Goodwin and Leighton Vander Esch for the season.
Joseph, who was drafted to be a shutdown cornerback out of the University of Kentucky, never developed into the player the Cowboys hoped he’d be.
After two years of not cracking into the regular coverage rotation, Joseph seemed to have found a niche in special teams with John “Bones” Fassel.
The duo of Goodwin and Joseph as gunners on the punt and kickoff teams gave Fassel a dynamic duo in kick coverage.
At the time it could have been considered a luxury, but now that Goodwin is out for the season, that unit is without both of them.
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a desperation move, but Fassel has resorted to inserting DE Sam Williams as a gunner on his coverage teams.
It’s a little out of the norm for that position, as it is usually reserved for speedy defensive backs or wide receivers.
Joseph played 70% of the special teams snaps in Dallas last season, and had already logged 87% of those snaps with the Dolphins before his release.
If nothing else, Joseph can be a boon on special teams for the Cowboys.
Cornerback Room Depth
While the Goodwin injury opened up the opportunity for special teams snaps, another injury created some space in the cornerback room.
Trevon Diggs tore his ACL in practice prior to the Week 3 matchup at the Arizona Cardinals.
Please don’t misconstrue my logic. I am not saying Joseph can come in and replace the production that Diggs left behind.
I’m saying that his injury created a domino effect that has put the Cowboys in circumstances they didn’t have to worry about before.
After the Cowboys acquired former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts, I wrote about how Dallas could have the best cornerback trio in the NFL.
The defense’s performance in the first two weeks prior to Diggs’ injury reinforced that take, but post-injury has weakened it.
Second year player DaRon Bland, who was originally supposed to see the field primarily as the slot cornerback, was forced to start on the boundary opposite of Gilmore.
Bland has been so productive in that role, recording a team high five interceptions, of which he has returned three of them for touchdowns.
Gilmore has also been solid on the other side, notching two interceptions so far this season.
After Bland and Gilmore, the depth chart starts to get sketchy.
Jourdan Lewis, who returned this season from a Lisfranc injury suffered in 2022, has not returned to his usual level of play in the slot.
Lewis has been the focus of opposing offenses, who have attacked him to avoid throwing at the stalwarts lined up on the boundary.
He has allowed completions on 54% of the throws in coverage while giving up three touchdowns, a 111.1 passer rating, 70 yards after catch, and just one pass defensed in eight games.
During training camp, the coaches experimented with Joseph in the slot, a position they had never put him in before.
By all accounts, he was playing well, but a logjam at the position, and the need for more depth at outside cornerback is what triggered the trade with Miami.
Would adding Joseph back to the team make the Cowboys world beaters?
No, but for the reasons mentioned above, plus his familiarity with the defense make it a situation worth kicking the tires on.