The dreaded "bust" label will often come after NFL players like the Grim Reaper. With teams less and less patient these days, it seems like players can actually shed the bust label after they've received it, so all hope is not lost. For a number of Dallas Cowboys draft picks in recent years, it might be time to start talking about the bust label.
Heck, it might even be past time to talk about it.
Nobody wants to be called an NFL Draft bust and especially for guys who were drafted within the last four years, there's still time to turn things around.
But enough optimism. There will be time for that later. It's time to press on the hot take button and tell you about a handful of Dallas Cowboys players who have likely achieved bust status, whether in the eyes of fans or the team (or both, potentially).
3 Cowboys Players Who Look Like Busts After 2024 Season
1. Kelvin Joseph, CB
Let's start with some low-hanging fruit, because Kelvin Joseph is not even on the Dallas Cowboys' roster anymore.
The former second-round pick out of Kentucky was absolutely taken to the cleaners when given an opportunity at outside cornerback but actually looked like he might be able to stick at one point if he made the full-time transition to the slot. After getting traded to the Miami Dolphins for Noah Igbinoghene, Joseph was let go during the season and ended up finishing out the 2023 season with the Seattle Seahawks.
He started to go on a tour of NFL teams likely clinging to the recency of their scouting reports when he bounced around from the Chiefs to the Colts to the Vikings. As we sit here in early 2025, he doesn't have a team.
I think it's safe to say at this point that Kelvin Joseph is a bust of a draft pick as a second-rounder. You expect guys picked that high to end up being core starters on your team. Luckily, the Cowboys have done well at that position in other years/rounds and they aren't on the hunt for help as a result of this whiff.