Why Cowboys traded CB Kelvin Joseph for CB Noah Igbinoghene
The Dallas Cowboys are trading Kelvin Joseph to the Miami Dolphins in a rare player-for-player trade. To make it even weirder, it's two cornerbacks involved in the trade. Talk about a heads-up bet between two teams. They're sending cornerback Kelvin Joseph in exchange for Noah Igbinoghene, a former first-round draft pick who never quite panned […]
The Dallas Cowboys are trading Kelvin Joseph to the Miami Dolphins in a rare player-for-player trade. To make it even weirder, it's two cornerbacks involved in the trade. Talk about a heads-up bet between two teams.
They're sending cornerback Kelvin Joseph in exchange for Noah Igbinoghene, a former first-round draft pick who never quite panned out for the Dolphins, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
It's clear the Cowboys trust Dan Quinn's ability to develop players with high-end traits, which is what Igbinoghene provides. Oddly enough, one thing he doesn't provide is height. At 5-foot-10, Igbinoghene ranks in the 21st percentile of cornerbacks in the NFL, per MockDraftable.
The trade has a big reason behind it, however. Joseph was a riser in the preseason as he played well in the slot. But the thing is the Cowboys already have depth at nickel cornerback. With Jourdan Lewis making the 53-man roster, he should be a solid backup to DaRon Bland once healthy. Israel Mukuamu also played well there in the playoffs in January.
What the Cowboys really lack is outside depth. Behind Trevon Diggs and Stephon Gilmore, their best bet is kicking Bland (starting nickel cornerback) to the outside. They already know Joseph isn't an option outside after watching him struggle there last year. Developing somebody like Igbinoghene is a solid alternative.
A quick look at Igbinoghene's snap distribution reveals that's what he's done in three years in the NFL.
The Cowboys' roster cuts are at full speed ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline to have the roster at 53 players. Football (the real thing, not August football) is nearly back and the transaction wire is proof of it.
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Featured image via Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
