Kelvin Joseph has seemingly spent his entire Cowboys career on the bubble.
But the thing about bubbles is, they usually find a way to rise.
The Dallas coaching staff has stuck with Joseph through exceptionally bad decisions off the field- not to mention some poor play on it- since joining the team in 2021. Now, two full years later, the 23-year-old may be rewarding the organization for their patience.
“I think this is the best stretch for Kelvin that he’s had since he’s been here,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters on Wednesday.
Joseph’s athletic talents have never been in question; they’re why he was a second-round draft pick coming out of Kentucky. But the Louisiana native was raw, in more ways than one.
Unable to make much of an impact as a rookie, Joseph put his football future in serious doubt during the 2022 offseason. In April, it was announced that he was “a person of interest” in the investigation of a fatal shooting that had occurred outside a Dallas nightclub. Joseph sat down with investigators- albeit a month after the fact- and admitted that he was a passenger in the car from which the shots were fired but claimed he was not the shooter.
The Cowboys ignored calls to cut Joseph immediately. He played more in his second season, but did little to boost his stock with fans. He was benched during the team’s Week 15 loss to Jacksonville after giving up two touchdowns in the span of three coverage snaps.
Joseph continued playing special teams and even provided a bright spot during the Cowboys’ divisional-round meeting with San Francisco when his forced fumble in punt coverage led to a game-tying field goal.
It may have been enough to earn him one more chance at sticking around. And by all accounts, Joseph is making the most of it.
Part of this offseason’s improvement seems to be the result of a positional shift. Joseph was seen taking reps as the defense’s nickel cornerback at the recent OTA practices, and it seems the change is agreeing with him.
“You can see his heightened awareness,” McCarthy explained. “I think where he’s at in his development- there’s nothing that he can’t do physically- but now, having an understanding of going in and playing nickel, what’s clear to me is he’s better outside. He’s seeing how it fits together, it helps with the instincts and the concept understanding.”
Cowboys CB Kelvin Joseph saw action in nickel spot. He broke up one pass intended for WR KaVontae Turpin during the second-team two-minute 7-on-7. Could have delivered big hit on next play but laid off here in spring, showing consideration for Mike McCarthy’s pocket book. pic.twitter.com/m0foda8UtG
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) May 25, 2023
Joseph agrees that the move is allowing him to put his best foot forward after his previous missteps.
“It’s a big chance for me and an advantage because of my capabilities and what I’m able to do,” he said recently, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.
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“Just being able to learn from everybody and learn from my mistakes,” he continued. “That makes me more mature. Like me getting benched last year: not getting mad about it, just using it to get better this offseason on my mistakes and my reason on why I couldn’t play last year or why I was benched or why I gave up passes. This offseason was a whole different focus to come back better, faster, and stronger than what I was last year. … Just locking in. Dialed in. All the way. Blocking out the off-the-field distractions and the naysayers, just to prove everybody wrong.”
Everybody, that is, except his Cowboys coaches, who believed in him all along. And now it will be up to Joseph to extend his “best stretch” all the way to becoming the player he was expected to be as a Top-50 pick.
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