Dallas Cowboys trade disappointing CB Kelvin Joseph for Miami CB Noah Igbinoghene
In pairing their roster from the 90 to 53 on Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys made a move to correct a past mistake by trading disappointing and troubled cornerback Kelvin Joseph to the Miami Dolphins for cornerback Noah Igbinoghene.
Igbinoghene was the Dolphins’ 2020 first-round draft pick, picked 30th overall out of Auburn.
Monday’s trade provides a fresh start for both players who have not lived up to their projected NFL potential.
Igbinoghene has played in 32 games over three seasons with the Dolphins. He has started just five, making 29 tackles with five pass deflections. He has one career interception and two fumble recoveries.
Miami declined Igbinoghene’s fifth-year option in the spring, so he will become a free agent in March.
So it’s a one-year look at a player who has good size and great speed, fitting the bill of what Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn likes in his cornerbacks.
/Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said Igbinoghene has lined up against top receivers and he’s been impressed with his play on video.
Liked him coming out, I do recall his kickoff return ability too. Vertical speed. But he’s more outside than inside and that was part of the interest, part of the reason why we had the interest. ... I think he’s a really good addition for us,” McCarthy said.
Joseph was thought to be perfect for Quinn’s defense as well when the Cowboys selected him in the second round of the 2021 draft with the 44th overall pick — despite character questions come out of college.
Joseph played college football at LSU before being suspended and transferring to Kentucky. He left Lexington for the NFL after his sophomore season.
Joseph never lived up to expectations for the Cowboys. He had just three starts over the last two seasons, though he appeared in 26 games mostly as a special teams contributor.
Joseph had maturity issues as a rookie that manifested in the spring of 2022 when he was involved in a Dallas murder investigation.
Joseph was a passenger in a vehicle during a drive-by shooting in Dallas on March 18. Under the threat of charges, Joseph was compelled to talk with Dallas police.
A day after Joseph met with Dallas police, Aries Jones, 28, and Tivione English, 21, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were arrested. Jones and English face murder charges in the homicide of 20-year old Cameron Ray.
Joseph was not charged.
Igbinoghene joins a cornerback room that includes Trevon Diggs, Stephon Gilmore, DaRon Bland, Jourdan Lewis and rookie sixth-round pick Eric Scott.
The trade was the biggest news on Tuesday, but it was only part of the process of the Cowboys shaping their roster for the 2023 season. The Cowboys will likely finalize the roster in the coming days as they move players to injured reserve and scour the waiver wire for upgrades.
Cornerback Nahshon Wright (ankle) and tackle Matt Waletzo (shoulder) are headed to injured reserve, per sources.
They will miss at least four games. Long snapper Trent Sieg, tackle Chuma Edoga and special teams ace C.J. Goodwin are players expected to be signed back to roster.
McCarthy said there will be more clarity to the depth chart once the Cowboys get past Wednesday.
That is certainly evident on the offensive with the release of center/guard Matt Farniok. The Cowboys don’t have a backup center on the roster and plan to address the position on Wednesday.
One of the notables of Tuesday’s transactions were the decisions to release running back Malik Davis, who was the third running back last season but was surpassed on the depth chart by Rico Dowdle, rookie sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn and undrafted rookie Hunter Leupke as the primary backups to starter Tony Pollard.
McCarthy said Leupke’s performance in the preseason final could not be ignored.
He ended in his night in the 31-16 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders with 15 carries for 58 yards while also catching 5 passes for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Leupke was part of an outstanding rookie class (seven draft picks) and one of three undrafted players, guard T.J. Bass and kicker Brandon Aubrey who made the initial 53-man roster.
The Cowboys also went light at linebacker with the release of 2021 fourth-round pick Jabril Cox and Malik Jefferson. The Cowboys kept four linebackers in Micah Parsons, Leighton Vander Esch, Damone Clark and Devin Harper.
That means the Cowboys kept six safeties on the roster in Jayron Kearse, Donovan Wilson, Malik Hooker, Israel Mukuamu, Markquese Bell, and Juanyeh Thomas.
“This is the deepest safety group that I can recall,” McCarthy said. “That gives us a lot of flexibility.”
Add in the releases of defensive tackle Quenton Bohanna and receiver Simi Fehoko to Cox, Farniok and Joseph and it was a total of five departures from the team’s 2021 draft class.
The official transactions made by the Cowboys on Tuesday:
Reserve/Injured: T Josh Ball, WR David Durden, LB DeMarvion Overshown, WR John Stephens
Released: DE Ben Banogu,T Chuma Edoga, CB C.J. Goodwin, QB Will Grier, LB Malik Jefferson, WR Tyron Johnson, LS Trent Sieg
Waived: T Isaac Alarcon, WR Jose Barbon, DT Quinton Bohanna, T Earl Bostick, DB Myles Brooks, DB Josh Butler, LB Jabril Cox, DB Tyler Coyle, RB Malik Davis, WR Dontario Drummond, TE Princeton Fant, G Matt Farniok, WR Simi Fehoko, TE Seth Green, C Brock Hoffman, WR Dennis Houston, DE Durrell Johnson, LB Isaiah Land, C Alec Lindstrom, DB D’Angelo Mandell, TE Sean McKeon, WR Jalen Cropper, DB Sheldrick Redwine, T Alex Taylor-Prioleau, DE Tyrus Wheat
This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 2:15 PM.