Kelvin Joseph vs. Anthony Brown: AB Rises as 'Top-10 Cover CB' for Cowboys

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys are no strangers to employing prolific defensive backs in their secondary.

In 2021, Dallas cornerback Trevon Diggs led all cornerbacks with 11 interceptions, en route to a first-team All-Pro selection. The 23-year-old is considered one of the top players at his position heading into the 2022 season. … and he had an outstanding first day of this week’s minicamp at The Star as well.

Meanwhile, another “prominent” name, Kelvin Joseph, is making news in another direction. There is the murder investigation problem, most tragically. ... with an update from DallasCowboys.com's Mickey Spagnola ...

"There has been a lot of speculation over his availability after being a passenger in a car from where a fatal drive-by shooting took place late March in Dallas. But from I've learned, Joseph, who was not involved in the shooting, has been cleared by Dallas County officials, being truthful and forthcoming during the investigation, and remember he never was arrested or charged with anything. Now as for the NFL, that is a different matter, and its movement is at glacier speeds when coming to incidents such as this. The Cowboys have stood firm on the issue that the 22-year-old is good to go from a legal standpoint.''

Which leaves a window of opportunity as training camp opens in Oxnard ...

While top-level speed paired with having a keen instinct for the football are integral qualities for any defensive back, the ability to cover is just as important. Though Diggs is certainly more-than-competent in that regard, a prominent media outlet believes that another Cowboys corner had a better season that he in 2021.

Per a recent ranking from NFL.com, cornerback Anthony Brown had himself a season….as in a’ top 10’ season…in 2021 as a cover cornerback.

Here is NFL Next Gen Stats’ take on Brown’s performance in coverage for the previous year.

Rank: 6

Passer rating allowed: 75.8

Catch rate allowed below expectation: -6.4%

Tight window pct: 28.2%

Target rate: 21.7%

Average separation: 2.6 yards

Targeted expected points added: -19

We always get a few surprises with these rankings, and Cowboys fans will likely raise an eyebrow at this one. (I know I did.) For much of 2021, it felt like Brown was getting attention for being on the wrong end of a completion, but his total résumé tells a different story. Brown saw more targets as the nearest defender than any other player in 2021 with 117, yet he was consistently right there to make a play — or, at the very least, make a completion difficult. Despite the high volume of targets, Brown’s tight-window rate was over 28 percent, and he allowed the sixth-lowest completion percentage among defensive backs (49.6). His completion percentage allowed below expectation finished at a solid -6.4 percent, and he finished with the sixth-lowest targeted EPA on deep balls (-6.8). While Trevon Diggs attracted the lion’s share of positive praise in 2021, Brown was there on the other side playing a solid No. 2 cornerback. -Nick Shook

With the spotlight focused on Diggs, Brown quietly provided stout coverage on the opposite side of Dallas’ defensive backfield. The 28-year-old Purdue product combined for 71 tackles, logging 14 passes defensed, three interceptions, one forced fumble and one touchdown. He was often charged with the duty of blanketing opposing teams’ top route runners, performing well, despite some glaring occasional struggles. However, Brown’s ability to contain his opponent did not go unnoticed, as evident by NFL.com’s job evaluation.

To complement the success of both Diggs and Brown, Dallas is undoubtedly hoping that fellow corners Kelvin Joseph and Nashon Wright will make notable improvements in their respective second seasons with the team. However, knowing that their two top options are strong enough to anchor a formidable secondary, both Joseph and Wright have the luxury of developing at their own pace, barring injury.

Ultimately, Brown’s ranking among the top 10 in cover corners is a huge boost to his career, as well as a feather in the cap of the Cowboys. While he will certainly look to build off his prior season’s success, must avoid the pitfalls of a potential letdown — especially after a career season in 2021.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys would love to see Joseph develop into the "breakout'' player some project him to be. And if he does, it'll be the first time in his three years that he's really provided competition for the reliable Brown.

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