Season Outlook: Joseph prime for breakout sophomore season?

Drafted 44th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, there hasn’t been much on-field success to rave about when it comes to Kentucky’s Kelvin Joseph.

Most of the stories regarding Joseph this offseason have been less than positive. Joseph was thrown into national headlines in April when he was identified as a passenger in a vehicle involved in a drive-by shooting. Since, the media and fans have wondered if disciplinary action would fall upon Joseph, leaving a hole in terms of the competition at the cornerback spot for Dallas.

Nonetheless, with training camp being a little over a week away, the team is focused on dealing with what they can control. And that is ensuring he takes the proper leap from his rookie campaign to his sophomore season.

In his NFL debut last season, Joseph gave negative two yards on five targets, while posting impressive film.

In ESPN’s latest article ranking the top 15 second-year players who could become stars in 2022, Joseph ranked ninth on the list

“While first-round cornerbacks Greg Newsome II and Eric Stokes are also excellent breakout candidates — and Pat Surtain II already qualifies as having broken out — there’s reason to believe the Cowboys’ second-rounder is in for a big sophomore campaign,” Pro Football Focus writer Mike Renner said. “It took Joseph a while to see the field as a rookie in 2021, but it was worth the wait. On only 97 coverage snaps, he allowed seven catches on 15 targets for 49 yards with two pass breakups.”

“What makes Joseph all the more intriguing is the unknown. He played all of 757 snaps for his entire collegiate career. A top recruit in Louisiana, Joseph started at LSU and played 222 snaps in 2018 before being suspended for the Tigers’ bowl game and subsequently transferring. He landed at Kentucky, where he allowed only 271 yards in his lone season with the team.”

Jaycee Horn was the only other cornerback to make an appearance on the list as he suffered from a season-ending injury during the first half of the season.

Head coach Mike McCarthy expects Joseph to be “full go” after suffering a “minor injury” earlier in the offseason.

However, what is still concerning is his legal matters.

The Cowboys have reportedly addressed the matter privately with Joseph and have allowed him to participate in team activities, even as the NFL and Dallas police continue their separate reviews.

McCarthy was asked about Joseph’s legal status in mid-May, just before the Cowboys’ rookie minicamp.

“I do not have an update on that situation, and I understand the concern,” he told reporters then. “I just want you to know when the situation occurred, we had a lot of internal conversation that was really in-depth. And based off the information that we’ve been given, we felt it was important to support him, and he’s been here every day. He’s been having a pretty productive offseason so far.”