Tag: Kelvin Joseph

Seahawks 53-man roster tracker: 2 DBs elevated from practice squad

The Seahawks announced their two practice squad elevations on Saturday ahead of today’s road game against the Titans.

The Seahawks announced their two practice squad elevations on Saturday ahead of today’s road game against the Titans. First, for the second week in a row rookie safety Ty Okada has been elevated. Okada adds extra depth at safety with Jamal Adams being ruled out for the second consecutive game with a knee injury. With Julian Love’s child being born just in time for him to make today’s game, Okada will likely only see work on special teams.

The team also elevated former Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph from the practice squad. That move offers insurance regarding rookie corner Devon Witherspoon’s status. Spoon is dealing with what head coach Pete Carroll has called a “really painful” hip pointer injury. He’s listed as questionable but most likely will not be playing today as he has not practiced in two weeks. Joseph played four games for the Dolphins earlier this season. No NFL team is deeper at cornerback than the Seahawks this season, so unless something goes terribly wrong we likely won’t see Joseph on defense, either.

Here’s the full updated 53-man roster by jersey number going into Week 16.

Dolphins activate WR River Cracraft from IR, release CB

Miami moves on from a CB and brings back a WR from IR.

The Miami Dolphins have had an active week following their bye already, as they switched out wideouts on the practice squad on Monday.

Then, on Tuesday, they had to make a decision on the future of wide receiver River Cracraft, who was coming to the end of his 21-day practice window. They decided to activate him, which kept him from missing the remainder of the season.

Cracraft had played a role in Miami’s first three games, recording six receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown before suffering a shoulder injury in their huge win over the Denver Broncos.

To make room for Cracraft, the Dolphins released cornerback Kelvin Joseph.

Joseph, 23, has appeared in four games this season for Miami, mainly on special teams, recording two tackles. He was originally acquired right before the season in a trade that sent Noah Igbinoghene to the Dallas Cowboys, but he had been a healthy scratch in five contests.

Cowboys give up on Kelvin Joseph, swap 2021 pick for Dolphins’ Igbinoghene

From @ToddBrock24f7: Both 23-year-olds are seen by many in their respective fanbases as a high-potential players who haven’t lived up to high expectations.

The Cowboys have swung a trade on cut day with the Miami Dolphins and will reportedly swap 23-year-old cornerbacks taken as early draft picks.

Dallas will send third-year man Kelvin Joseph to Miami in exchange for Noah Igbinoghene, the Dolphins’ first-round pick in the 2020 draft.

Joseph’s Cowboys tenure was marred with controversy- most notably, his involvement in a 2022 incident that resulted in the shooting death of a man outside a club in Dallas.

While the second-round draft selection out of Kentucky had improved his special teams play and reportedly impressed in training camp this summer, his time in Dallas has come to an end.

Igbinoghene (pronounced igg-beh-NAWG-ih-knee) was taken 30th overall in 2020 out of Auburn, a wide receiver who transitioned to cornerback early in his Tigers career. He appeared in 32 games with the Dolphins over three seasons, recording 29 tackles, five passes defended, an interception, and two fumble recoveries.

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Both Joseph and Igbinoghene are viewed by many within their respective fanbases as high-potential players who haven’t lived up to expectations as high draft picks. Maybe the change of scenery will be good for one or both of them.

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3 things to watch for in Cowboys preseason finale vs Raiders

Preseason games are meaningless in the record books, but not to the coaches, front office, and many Dallas Cowboys players. | From @cdpiglet

By this time in the preseason, NFL teams have most things figured out and are simply preparing for the start of the regular season. The Dallas Cowboys have likely already answered most of their own questions regarding the 53-man roster.

They know which veterans they can cut now to bring back later so they can protect and stash a young prospect like pass rusher Isaiah Land or offensive guard T.J. Bass. The coaches understand who not to play to protect them for the games that matter. Seeing them a few extra snaps would not be worth the risk of injury in the coaches’ minds.

Even though 90% of the questions might be answered, the last preseason game still has the ability to answer a few outstanding ones. A handful of roster spots are still in question, and the team could want to see someone in a different role. Here are some of things fans should watch for when the Cowboys take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday.

Kelvin Joseph’s future on the Cowboys still alive and well as cuts approach

Those who already wrote Joseph off may be surprised to see he’s back in the mix at CB for the Cowboys and likely to stick around. | From @ReidDHanson

The Cowboys are less than a week away from cut down day. On August 29, all NFL teams must trim their rosters down to 53 players. Each team must balance short-term goals with long-terms desires, making the decision-making process grueling for everyone – especially those with win-now expectations. Everyone loves potential in a player, but if potential can’t help win games now, can a contending team like the Cowboys afford to keep him?

Potential is something that’s allowed high-end draft selections to hang onto roster spots longer than their on-field contributions would otherwise justify.  Elite athletic traits can’t be taught and the Cowboys are known to be extra patient with gifted players. It’s this behavior that’s likely allowed Kelvin Joseph to stay on as long as he has in Dallas.

Joseph, a former second-round pick (No. 44 in 2021), is one of the most physically gifted players on the Cowboys roster. The CB from Kentucky entered the NFL as a raw prospect who possessed extremely high upside. He also came with some off-the-field baggage which threatened to get in the way of his professional career.

Since joining Dallas, Joseph has had his share of issues, both on and off the field. There’s no question his issues have put his career in jeopardy and had him on the bubble when camp opened in Oxnard roughly one month ago.

Many fans have already thrown in the towel on Jospeh. The mere mention of him seems to elicit strong emotions, mostly of the negative variety. But despite what fan sentiment may be, Joseph is still in the mix at the cornerback position.

After struggling for two years outside, Jospeh has moved inside to handle nickel duties in 2023. It a role in which he’s quietly thrived and one that’s likely to save his career. Already a top special teams player, Joseph is proving to have immediate value to go with his long-term potential.

Trevon Diggs, Stephon Gilmore and DaRon Bland are locks but behind them things could fall a number of different ways. After a strong start to minicamps and training camp, rookie Eric Scott has plateaued. He’s performed poorly in preseason games and may not be the impact rookie Bland was in 2022.

Nahshon Wright has performed admirably, yet unspectacularly, so he’s on bubble. And Jourdan Lewis has yet to return from injury and is likely to start the season on PUP (won’t count toward the 53). It’s clear, the order after the top-three is far from settled.

If the Cowboys are expected to keep 5-6 CBs on the roster, Joseph appears to be on the inside of the bubble and may even be considered CB4 when Week 1 kicks off. Considering where Joseph ranked heading into training camp, his ascension up the ranks this past month is an impressive one.

There’s a strong possibility the Cowboys keep six CBs this season which means everyone discussed gets a job (until Lewis returns from PUP, of course), but even at five it’s hard to see Joseph not making the cut and that’s a testament to his progression this summer.

The Cowboys are a better team when Joseph is playing up to his potential so this revelation should be seen as a good thing for the team.

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It’s all about building confidence for these talented young Cowboys

These two young Cowboys players know firsthand, talent alone won’t guarantee success in the NFL, players must have knowledge and confidence, says @ReidDHanson.

Confidence can be a killer for a young NFL prospect. Too much of it? Poor decisions, poor preparation and reckless behavior. Too little of it? Second guessing, diminished reaction time and erratic play. Both extremes of the spectrum can result in poor performance.

The Cowboys have two former top-100 draft picks who appear to be severely lacking in the confidence department. The once highly-regarded prospects have been underwhelming as professionals and now find themselves fighting to live up to expectations and fighting for their jobs.

If they can get right mentally, their physical ability will likely allow them to fulfill their potential. If they can’t get over their mental barriers, they may never live up to their draft status or worse, not make the 53-man roster cut just over a month away.

McCarthy: Kelvin Joseph playing new position, enjoying ‘best stretch’ with Cowboys

From @ToddBrock24f7: The third-year cornerback may finally be rewarding the Cowboys’ patience, with a shift to nickel seeming to be a change for the better.

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.”

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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Cowboys CB Kelvin Joseph back at practice, but needs to clean up penalties

The 2nd-year CB missed Wednesday due to dental surgery; his penalty-prone performances in 2022 has had Cowboys fans gnashing their teeth. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cornerback Kelvin Joseph was back at practice on Thursday, a full participant after missing the Cowboys’ Wednesday session due to dental surgery.

The obvious irony is that watching Joseph struggle through his second pro season has been a little like getting a root canal for most Cowboys fans up to this point.

Joseph’s eight penalties are tied with rookie offensive lineman Tyler Smith for most on the team. The difference, of course, is that Smith’s eight flags have come over 1,162 snaps played. Joseph has done it in 450.

But then there’s the kinds of penalties Joseph is drawing. A face mask call against the Giants in Week 3. Unnecessary roughness in Week 6 against Philadelphia. An illegal blindside block. An illegal block above the waist. Two flags for fair catch interference just in the month of December.

Head coach Mike McCarthy takes a more patient stance than most fans, but acknowledges that the 23-year-old needs to clean things up.

“The biggest thing when you look at mistakes: behavioral mistakes or discipline mistakes or physical mistakes, they all kind of fall into a category. When I look at the interference- even live, talking to the officials- he’s trying to do it right,” McCarthy said the day after the team’s Week 17 win over Tennessee, which include one of those fair catch fouls.

“They don’t use the ‘halo’ approach anymore, but it is a good teaching tool for the amount of room you’ve got to give the returner the opportunity to catch the ball. In his mind, he established his position, and then the returner moved forward right at the end of it. I chalk that up as a tough learning experience for a young player. But, yeah, the number of penalties, we’ve got to be better there.”

Once expected to step up and play starting corner after season-ending injuries to both Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown, Joseph got torched when given more of an opportunity on defense against Indianapolis, Houston, and Jacksonville.

But the Cowboys have stuck by Joseph, even dating back to the March shooting that left a man dead outside a Dallas club. Joseph was identified as a person of interest to police, but only after surveillance camera footage released weeks later linked him to the incident. Two men from Joseph’s hometown were subsequently arrested; there have been no further developments since.

Joseph himself has not spoken publicly about the episode, but he hasn’t exactly let his play this season do much speaking for him either.

At least not the good kind.

“I wouldn’t call it frustrating. I would say that’s the way it goes. Some draft picks- even though they’re high draft picks- take time. Some draft picks don’t get there like you want them to,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on Dec. 20 of Joseph’s progression (or lack thereof). “We’re now getting down to the point, where we get to that playoff, and it’s win-or-go-home, that we’ve got to put more emphasis on being able to play that day, that way, against that team. And so we’ve got to not look at the future and look more at right now, this afternoon. What gives us the best chance?”

In recent weeks, it’s been practically every healthy cornerback not named Kelvin Joseph.

Nahshon Wright, selected 55 picks after Joseph, and fifth-round rookie DaRon Bland have both surpassed him- if not on the official depth chart, then at least in the minds of Cowboys Nation- and relegated him mainly to special teams duty.

And while the Cowboys coaching staff has had good things to say about Joseph’s performance on that unit overall, they also admit that drawing a penalty flag on nearly two percent of his plays is causing some gnashing of teeth, especially given the stakes at a time of year when one momentary lapse can send an entire team home for good.

“I do feel Kelvin is a lot more engaged in that because he does play at an extremely high level of physicality,” McCarthy said. “But, yeah, the discipline part of it is something that he can be better in.”

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Nahshon Wright, Kelvin Joseph moving in opposite directions for Cowboys

The two young Cowboys cornerbacks entered the NFL together with much different expectations and dynamics. | From @ReidDHanson

When the Cowboys drafted Nahshon Wright with pick No. 99 in the 2021 NFL Draft, Cowboys fans erupted in displeasure. A bona fide “reach” to the draft community, Wright was tabbed by many as the worst pick in the draft class.

Kelvin Joseph didn’t command such universal disdain when he was selected 55 picks earlier. Joseph, who did have red flags, was still regarded as one of the best raw cornerback prospects in the draft who had legit “boom” potential. All anyone could see in Wright’s future was “bust.” My, how things can change.

Nearly two years into each of their respective professional careers, the draft classmates are on opposite trajectories; Wright moving into a starting role and Joseph on the cusp of losing his game-day active status altogether.

After a tumultuous offseason and wildly inconsistent training camp, Joseph began the season as a special teams player and developmental prospect. When injuries to Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown forced him into the defensive starting lineup, Joseph disappointed.

After allowing 219 yards, four touchdowns, a 66.7 completion percentage and 147.9 passer rating, Joseph was benched, making way for the once-maligned Wright.

Wright has been far from flawless, but he’s taking steps towards competence and even recorded the first interception of his career. Wright has shown awareness on the field and a willingness to step up against the run.

Wright may not be the forever-solution at CB2 but he’s the best solution the Cowboys have at the moment and likely the best man for the job as Dallas marches to the playoffs.

Joseph, on the other hand, has become such a liability he may be too dangerous to even play on special teams. The postseason, just two weeks away, is a time when margins are slim and every error has the potential to tip the balance.

The story is far from over for these two young cornerbacks and anything can happen going forward, but right now they are on opposite trajectories and it’s playing out far differently than most once imagined.

Cowboys prepare to trust in Kelvin Joseph to fill Brown’s shoes: ‘Time for him to take a big step’

The second-year CB has put in a ton of special teams work after his offseason trouble; he’ll now likely start in place of Anthony Brown. | From @ToddBrock24f7

When Anthony Brown was carted off the Dallas sideline Sunday night, a ton of experience went with him. The seventh-year cornerback out of Purdue had played 729 defensive snaps this season, second-most among all Cowboys defenders.

Now it appears that the team will turn to second-year man Kelvin Joseph, who had been in on all of 58 defensive snaps before Sunday night, to replace him.

While signing a veteran free agent is always a possibility, head coach Mike McCarthy hinted this week that the team would prefer to stick with someone who’s already in the building.

“We have young players that need to step up,” McCarthy told reporters.

“The one thing that I’m hopeful and it’s encouraging is that our younger players have played so much throughout the season. I think if there was a point in this season that we have positioned ourselves for our young players to be ready, I think it is definitely now.”

DaRon Bland has already proven to be a good example. The rookie has seen his playing time increase dramatically since the loss of Jourdan Lewis in October. The fifth-rounder out of Fresno State turned in his best game as a pro against the Colts, snaring two interceptions in the Cowboys’ blowout win.

Dallas now hopes Joseph can chart a similar trajectory.

“Kelvin’s extremely talented. He’s done some really good things on special teams,” the coach added. “This is a huge opportunity for him, and we’re counting on him to step up.”

The Louisiana native has indeed been a major contributor on John Fassel’s unit, having been on the field for two-thirds of the special teams plays this year, third-most on the roster.

Fassel called Joseph “a good top three or five guy for us,” but he knows full well that such is the arrangement with special teams role-players. A call up to the offense or defense is always one injury away.

“I’m excited for Kelvin,” Fassel added. “That’s what I’ve always said, is when those special teams guys get opportunities to go start on O or D, I’m their biggest cheerleader, man.”

The coordinator acknowledged that Joseph will have a learning curve. Special teams generally allows for more a wide-open, seek-and-destroy style of play that won’t be tolerated in defensive coverage against opponents’ marquee receivers.

Joseph currently ranks second on the team with six penalties, ranging from a face mask to unnecessary roughness to an illegal blindside block. He drew a fair catch interference call on Sunday night.

But overall, Fassel believes Joseph is ready for this opportunity.

“Very well-equipped,” he said of the Kentucky alum. “I mean, his physical tools with his change of direction, his strength, his contact balance, his ability to snap his head, stop, start. [I’m] not a defensive backs coach, but as far as the movement skills, he’s got it. We’ll just keep encouraging Kelvin to stay alive and alert in meetings — not that he isn’t — that will be the next step on continuing to become a pro: all the littlest details on your assignment, your matchup, all that stuff you’ve got to continue to hone in. If he can match his great physical skills with his growing mental skills, then you’ll see a really good defensive back.”

When speaking about Joseph’s maturation and growth on the field, though, there’s always an unspoken subtext. One that calls into question his behavior off it.

The 23-year-old was a team focus for all the wrong reasons back in the spring. After a fatal March shooting outside a Dallas club, Joseph was identified as a person of interest to police. Video footage showed someone who fit Joseph’s description (thanks to a large necklace emblazoned with Joseph’s rap name) as being part of a group of men involved.

Joseph claimed he was not the shooter but said he was a passenger in the car from which the shots were fired. After a meeting with investigators, two men from Joseph’s hometown were arrested.

The league had promised their own investigation into Joseph’s involvement, but nothing else has been made public on that front in the months since.

Joseph himself gave no interviews at all until he was threatened to be reported to the NFL for not fulfilling contractual obligations with the media. When he finally agreed to a conference call in late October, as reported by Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he refused to answer any questions about the incident and declined to offer any words whatsoever for the victim’s family.

The Cowboys stuck with Joseph then. They’ll have to lean on him now.

“He’s doing what he needs to do,” McCarthy explained. “This is a big moment for him. This is something that he’s been working at and kind of keeping his nose down. He’s played well on special teams; I know the special teams room and the coaches speak very highly of him. This is what you look for in younger players. I know the stuff off the field clearly was a challenge, but this is a time for him to take a big step.”

One cannot help but feel that McCarthy is talking about much more than coverage techniques and tackling.

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