When Anthony Brown was carted off the Dallas sideline Sunday night, a ton of experience went with him. The seventh-year cornerback out of Purdue had played 729 defensive snaps this season, second-most among all Cowboys defenders.
Now it appears that the team will turn to second-year man Kelvin Joseph, who had been in on all of 58 defensive snaps before Sunday night, to replace him.
While signing a veteran free agent is always a possibility, head coach Mike McCarthy hinted this week that the team would prefer to stick with someone who’s already in the building.
“We have young players that need to step up,” McCarthy told reporters.
“The one thing that I’m hopeful and it’s encouraging is that our younger players have played so much throughout the season. I think if there was a point in this season that we have positioned ourselves for our young players to be ready, I think it is definitely now.”
DaRon Bland has already proven to be a good example. The rookie has seen his playing time increase dramatically since the loss of Jourdan Lewis in October. The fifth-rounder out of Fresno State turned in his best game as a pro against the Colts, snaring two interceptions in the Cowboys’ blowout win.
Dallas now hopes Joseph can chart a similar trajectory.
“Kelvin’s extremely talented. He’s done some really good things on special teams,” the coach added. “This is a huge opportunity for him, and we’re counting on him to step up.”
The Louisiana native has indeed been a major contributor on John Fassel’s unit, having been on the field for two-thirds of the special teams plays this year, third-most on the roster.
Fassel called Joseph “a good top three or five guy for us,” but he knows full well that such is the arrangement with special teams role-players. A call up to the offense or defense is always one injury away.
“I’m excited for Kelvin,” Fassel added. “That’s what I’ve always said, is when those special teams guys get opportunities to go start on O or D, I’m their biggest cheerleader, man.”
The coordinator acknowledged that Joseph will have a learning curve. Special teams generally allows for more a wide-open, seek-and-destroy style of play that won’t be tolerated in defensive coverage against opponents’ marquee receivers.
Kelvin Joseph stays tight in coverage on TD. But it’s not enough, as Colts WR Alec Pierce snags impressive catch.pic.twitter.com/3Q0sWcL1Wh
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) December 5,…
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