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The Dallas Cowboys have a major opportunity on their hands, and owner Jerry Jones is going to make sure each player knows what is expected of them.
The pursuit of Odell Beckham Jr. in free agency has been the primary storyline of the Cowboys, but the team is also now dealing with the lack of two of its top corners in Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown.
Dallas has added Mackensie Alexander to shore up the secondary, but Jones is looking to a player already on the roster to make a difference: Kelvin Joseph.
Speaking to 105.3 The Game on December 9, Jones called on the 23-year-old to step up his game and “accept responsibility.”
“Time for him to become a man,” Jones said according to Yahoo’s Jori Epstein. “Accept a higher level of responsibility. He’s got more people depending on him. It’s time for some of the side stuff to ease its way out of his life.”
The Cowboys do need someone in the secondary to step up, whether it’s Joseph, CJ Goodwin or DaRon Bland. However, it’s clear that Dallas’ owner is expecting Joseph to make that jump.
Joseph Looking to Make Impact
After a college career at LSU and Kentucky, Joseph came into the 2021 NFL draft with SEC pedigree and plenty of potential. His four interceptions with the Wildcats in 2020 showed that Joseph can be a ball hawk, and the Cowboys bought in on his ability.
Dallas drafted the 23-year-old in the second round of last year’s draft, but things haven’t gone according to plan. According to Pro Football Reference, Joseph missed seven games as a rookie and started just twice, registering two passes defended along the way.
This past offseason, Joseph was also nearly in major trouble after being named a person of interest in a car-based shooting by Dallas police. Joseph was let go after two of the men in the vehicle with him were arrested according to ESPN.
Joseph avoided disaster, but has not made waves in 2022. Joseph has one pass defended and has played in 11 games so far. It’s fair to say that Dallas hasn’t seen a great return for drafting Joseph, but he is getting a major opportunity with Brown and Lewis now out for the season.
Cowboys Bring in New Blood
Similar to Joseph, the Cowboys’ newest corner is also looking to make the most of this season’s opportunity. Mackensie Alexander is also a former second-round pick, and is also looking for new life in his career.
That being said, Alexander has a more extensive resume than Joseph due to entering the league in the 2016 NFL draft. The 29-year-old has spent five total seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, save for a one-year stint with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020.
According to Pro Football Reference, Joseph has 32 passes defended over his six NFL seasons along with three interceptions. However, he has not played a regular-season snap in 2022 after failing to make the Miami Dolphins’ roster due to injury.
Dallas will give Alexander a fresh start, but it also feels like an important point in his career: failing to bounce back with the Cowboys could make it even more difficult for the 29-year-old to return to an NFL starting lineup.
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