The Dallas Cowboys draft history in recent years features All-Pro talents like Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs and Pro Bowl players like Tony Pollard and CeeDee Lamb. However, former top pick Kelvin Joseph is quickly headed toward bust territory in Dallas.
Dallas took a massive gamble with Joseph in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, using the 44th overall pick on him. Most believed Asante Samuel Jr. was the better cornerback prospect, but the Cowboys took the player they believed had a higher upside even with the added risk from off-field concerns.
- Kelvin Joseph stats (2022): 66.7 percent completion rate, 147.9 quarterback rating allowed in 16 games
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Joseph has experienced a lot of issues in his NFL career. He opened his rookie season on injured reserve, not making his debut until late in October. In his first year, the 6-foot-1 cornerback appeared in 10 games with two starts but only played enough snaps to be targeted 17 times with a 47.1 percent completion rate allowed.
Dallas hoped that a healthy Joseph would emerge as an impact starter in his season season. Instead, he served as a backup and only played a total of 104 coverage snaps. When he was on the field, Joseph earned a 44.1 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus and allowed one of the highest quarterback ratings in the NFL when he was targeted on 18 occassions. Unfortunately for Dallas, it appears Joseph hasn’t made the third-year leap.
Taking stock of players from Cowboys’ training camp, Saad Yousuf and Jon Machota of The Athletic highlighted Joseph as one of the players that disappointed. Dallas has provided its young corner with ample opportunities to play a bigger role, but he’s failed to take advantage and is now far behind on the depth chart.
“There have been opportunities for him to have a bigger role defensively this season, but he hasn’t done enough to move past others on the depth chart, where he’s probably seventh right now behind Diggs, Gilmore, DaRon Bland, Jourdan Lewis, Nahshon Wright and Eric Scott.”
Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf on Dallas Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph
Fortunately for the Cowboys, Joseph’s inability to take that next step as a player won’t significantly hurt their defense. While Dallas would be an even deeper team if Joseph proved he could be a starting-caliber cornerback, the offseason acquisition of Stephon Gilmore made Joseph more expendable.
While he’ll still likely make the Cowboys’ 53-man roster heading into the season, being seventh on the depth chart is a sign that Joseph will be on the roster bubble each year. The Cowboys’ track record in the NFL Draft remains outstanding, but taking Joseph over the likes of Samuel Jr and All-Pro center Creed Humphrey has proven to be a mistake.
