New Dolphins CB Kelvin Joseph Scouting Report
The Miami Dolphins acquired a player via trade Tuesday; it just wasn’t the one fans expected.
The Dolphins traded former first-round cornerback Noah Igbinoghene to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for former second-round cornerback Kelvin Joseph.
Let’s look at Joseph’s background, strengths and weaknesses to determine how he fits into Miami’s plans this season.
Kelvin Joseph's Background
Joseph declared early for the 2021 NFL draft after his redshirt sophomore season at Kentucky. He played in just 20 college games (nine with the Wildcats and 11 with LSU).
He started in all nine games with the Wildcats in 2020, recording a career high in passes defended (5) and interceptions (4).
The cornerback’s draft stock spiked after his impressive athletic testing. He ran a 4.34 40-yard dash and had a 128-inch broad jump, which ranked in the 92nd and 84th percentiles, respectively.
The Dallas Cowboys selected Joseph with the 44th overall pick. He played 26 games in the past two seasons, starting in just three.
Kelvin Joseph's Strengths
Joseph’s main strength — as it relates to his fit with the Dolphins — is his zone coverage ability. Coming out of Kentucky, most draft analysts viewed Joseph's best scheme fit as a team that would play heavy zone coverage.
He has the long speed to stick with defenders deep and the explosiveness to break downhill and make plays on the ball. Joseph has also flashed good run defense in the past.
In 2021, he had eight total run stops (a play considered a failure for the offense) on just 68 run defense snaps.
Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio emphasizes all of those traits in his cornerbacks.
Those natural traits typically project well to an outside cornerback role. However, Joseph moved to the slot this preseason and proved he could hold his own.
In 37 coverage reps from the slot this preseason, Joseph allowed just two catches on eight targets, according to PFF. This is especially important for the Dolphins, who have a need in the slot.
Jalen Ramsey will miss a chunk of the season after meniscus surgery, and Nik Needham was placed on PUP on Tuesday. If healthy, both players likely would play significant slot reps.
Kader Kohou figures to play there for the time being, but he didn’t have a healthy backup until the Joseph trade. It’s a small sample size from the preseason, but Joseph’s potential versatility is a massive plus for the Dolphins.
It’s also essential to consider Joseph’s overall upside. He hasn’t played much football between his two NFL and college seasons. He has the athletic and physical profile of an above-average cornerback; he just needs to be coached up.
Kelvin Joseph's Weaknesses
Joseph’s upside and fit are all quite good. It’s also easy to see him getting on the field this season with the team’s lack of slot cornerback depth.
However, his on-field play has been quite underwhelming thus far.
Typically, Fangio likes to run a lot of quarters (Cover 4) and Cover 6. Joseph had just 28 snaps in those coverages last season, according to Sports Info Solutions. In those 28 snaps, he allowed three catches on five targets, with all three catches resulting in touchdowns.
That’s an incredibly small sample size to judge a player on. But looking at Joseph’s general coverage numbers raises more concerns.
Joseph was targeted 18 times last season and allowed 12 catches for four touchdowns. He was a little better in 2021, allowing eight catches on 17 targets and one touchdown.
Given those numbers, it’s no surprise Joseph didn’t get on the field much for the Cowboys. It’s pretty clear on film why Joseph was getting beat so often on the outside — lack of experience.
He doesn’t quite have a great feel for route concepts coming in and out of his area, leaving him susceptible to big plays where a more experienced player would limit the damage.
He tends to panic and abandon his technique when he knows he's beaten vertically. That also makes him a target for big plays and easy completions. Joseph has all the tools to be successful. He’s just not using them effectively right now.
To his credit, he looked much more confident in his technique while playing the slot during the preseason. It’s on the Dolphins coaching staff to build on that and continue his development.
Kelvin Joseph and Special Teams
Joseph should provide the Dolphins some value on special teams this season. He played 142 special teams snaps in 2021 and 217 in 2022 for the Cowboys. The cornerback had limited special teams experience but caught on at the end of last season.
His natural speed and length (77-inch wingspan) should make him a solid tackler on the move. That will help him possibly earn spots as a gunner on punts and kickoff coverage. Last season, Joseph had 70 snaps on kick coverage and 58 on punt coverage. One thing he needs to clean up on special teams is penalties. Joseph was penalized six times on special teams last season, matching his six total special teams tackles.
Bottom Line on Kelvin Joseph
At the end of the day, the Dolphins flipped a struggling, high-upside cornerback (Igbinoghene) for another in Joseph. Although the two have different flaws, their career arcs have a lot of similarities.
Where Joseph separates himself is his fit with this specific coaching staff. Although his numbers in Fangio’s preferred coverages aren’t great, Joseph has all the natural tools to excel in the Dolphins’ new scheme.
His run defense and budding slot versatility will also be considerable benefits in a defense that needs cornerbacks to tackle and moves its defensive backs around post-snap.
Joseph is a high-upside player acquired for little investment. Regardless of the eventual outcome, getting a player with Igbinoghene’s upside and a more straightforward path to playing time is an excellent process.
