An all-cornerback swap has taken place amidst today’s roster fluctuations. The Dolphins are sending Noah Igbinoghene to the Cowboys in exchange for Kelvin Joseph, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 
Igbinoghene came to Miami facing high expectations as a first-round pick in 2020. A converted receiver, he was always considered a long-term project, but his size and athleticism suggested considerable potential at the NFL level. The 23-year-old has not been able to establish himself with the Dolphins, however, and he found himself on the roster bubble this offseason.
The Auburn product played a full season as a rookie, but he made just 16 appearances in the two years since then. Igbinoghene totaled 29 tackles and one interception during his underwhelming time in South Beach, and now he will receive a fresh start with one year remaining on his rookie contract. The Dolphins have Jalen Ramsey, Xavien Howard, Eli Apple, Kader Kohou and second-round rookie Cam Smith remaining at the CB spot.
The Cowboys are similarly set at the top of their depth chart with the recently-extended Trevon Diggs and former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore headlining their corners. Igbinoghene will attempt to carve out a depth role in Dallas, and in doing so secure a future beyond 2023 with the team. Joseph was not able to do so during his two-year stint with the Cowboys. The former second-rounder made 26 appearances, and three starts, during his time in Dallas.
Joseph, 22, was connected to a shooting incident last spring, but by July he had been cleared of criminal wrongdoing. That off-the-field news opened the door to an improved season as part of Dallas’ strong secondary, but the Kentucky product was used almost exclusively on special teams. Similar usage will likely await him in Miami, especially once Ramsey has recovered from the knee surgery which will cost him time in the regular season.
Bossman Fat…bwahahaha LUV the nickname!!!
One of the worst Dolphins first round picks of all time.
Interesting. The new Dolphins scheme figures to run more man than zone. I have no idea whether Joseph will be better suited for that. Igbinoghene (just break it down into three parts: Ig-binog-hene) was a head scratcher as a pick, in a class where the Dolphins had numerous selections (including three first rounders) and wasted pretty much all of them. Unless Austin Jackson completely inverts his play, it’s pretty much up to Tua to salvage any value that draft had (and Robert Hunt). Combined with the mixed results of the limited selections in 2019 (Wilkins is still on the roster as a good pick, along with Van Ginkel, who should be playing more), the 2020 draft needed to have made more than it did with all of those high picks.
Igbinoghene has great athleticism, and Dan Quinn has worked with athletic, raw corners in the past (including a particularly famous former receiver), but it’s going to take a turnaround from him to be considered a success. You have to wonder if Joseph, an experienced starter, had his offseason play at all into the desire to trade him. Right now, this trade looks more like “fresh perspective, fresh start” more than anything for both players. An interesting question is, if the other party hadn’t been interested, would the teams simply have cut these players and signed replacements?