Dallas Cowboys can help struggling CB Kelvin Joseph if they do this

It’s not exactly controversial to say cornerback Kelvin Joseph  is struggling in his second season with the Dallas Cowboys. The 2021 second round pick out of Kentucky has largely been stuck on special teams this season and his rare appearances he does get on defense have been certified cringe, to say the least.

Former Dallas Cowboys scout and current Cowboys analysist, Bryan Broaddus noted in training camp that Kelvin Joseph appeared to be playing without confidence. His swagger was absent, making his processing speed slow and mechanics were clunky. Fast forward 11 weeks into the season and the same analysis holds true for the 22-year-old defensive back.

Kelvin Joseph is lacking confidence on defense and the Dallas Cowboys have the ability to fix that.

Looking back as his film from 2021, Joseph looks like a different man. KJ looked promising late in his rookie year (full film breakdown here) and gave the Dallas Cowboys reason to believe he could challenge for a starting role at some point in 2022.

After an offseason marked with controversy and even a possible felony murder charge floating in the stratosphere, KJ appeared this season as a different man. He’s played passively, giving up an obnoxious amount of cushion to opposing receivers, reacting slowly to breaks, and in no way challenging receptions.

He looks like a different player.

we can see KJ has the ability, he just needs the confidence. And playing him in different schemes with different responsibilities could be key to that.

The stats back that up as well; in just 58 defensive snaps this season, Kelvin Joseph has given up almost twice as many yards as he did last season when he played 164 snaps. The passer rating when targeted has rocketed from a respectable 82.7 to an embarrassing 132.5. Completion percentage against is up over 12 percent and yards/target has nearly doubled.

This season, Kelvin Joseph has served as a special team ace alongside C.J. Goodwin. A useful role, to be sure, but far from the expectations of a second round pick who flashed starting ability less than a year ago.

Based on college film and his somewhat limited snaps from 2021, we can see KJ has the ability, he just needs the confidence. And playing him in different schemes with different responsibilities could be key to that.

Based on play tracking data from PFF, the Dallas Cowboys run an abnormally high amount of Cover 3. Cover 3, as you may remember, is a middle of the field closed look, with deep 1/3 responsibilities falling on both boundary cornerbacks. It’s a difficult assignment for CBs because their safety support is only in the middle so they always have to protect the deep portion outside the numbers.

This is not an optimal coverage for a player lacking in confidence.

Looking a bit closer, we can see Joseph logged most of his snaps against Green Bay where he played 41 of his 58 defensive snaps this season. In Green Bay, the Dallas Cowboys played predominantly Cover 1 (twice as often as any other coverage). Again, this is a middle of the field closed look with much responsibility falling on the boundary cornerbacks.

Based on his special teams play, we can see KJ can be an aggressive player. He’s not afraid to stick his face in the ceiling fan and play downhill; it’s the fear of getting beat deep that seems to be locking him up. So it stands to reason, more split safety looks that offer safety support would do wonders for his confidence.

It’s the fear of getting beat deep that seems to be locking him up. So it stands to reason, more split safety looks that offer safety support would do wonders for his confidence

If/when KJ takes the field as an outside CB, Dan Quinn would be wise to change the coverage. Giving KJ the peace of mind that he has safety support (be it Cover 2, 2-Man, Cover 4 or Cover 6), he can play more aggressively and build some confidence. Playing on his toes rather than his heels for a while would give him something to build on and keep him from being exposed.

Change an entire coverage just for one player?

Of course! When you have to field a player with a known weakness, it’s not absurd you do things to protect him and your defense. Dan Quinn’s smart enough to know Joseph is a target for opposing offenses, so protecting that weakness is perfectly logical.

What we know is that things can’t continue as is. Knowledge and practice reps aren’t going to help him one bit if he doesn’t get his confidence back and right now that should be a priority for the Dallas Cowboys.

With zero options behind Trevon Diggs and Anthony Brown, KJ is the next man up so it would be useful to give him a few snaps per game under some nurturing circumstances in case an injury were to occur.

Less man and more zone is what this defense calls for. Anthony Brown certainly won’t hate it and it’s the right call when playing running QBs so there’s not reason not to ease the team in early