Kelvin Joseph will miss first 3 weeks of 2021 NFL season

After hearing his name called in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft back in April, Kelvin Joseph has had an up-and-down preseason with the Dallas Cowboys.

On the field, his production has varied from half to half. The former Kentucky Wildcat cornerback has displayed plenty of spurts of football brilliance as a rookie in the league, but his youth has definitely popped up, as well.

This past Sunday, during the Cowboys’ final preseason game, Kelvin Joseph was forced to leave due to a groin issue. As a result of that still-nagging injury, Joseph has been moved to the injured reserve list. He made the final 53-man roster for Dallas, but will now miss at least the first three weeks of the 2021 regular season.

Kelvin Joseph will officially miss the first three weeks of the 2021 season. https://t.co/I4gfJ5sm6U

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) September 2, 2021

Joseph wasn’t expected to start on opening day for the Cowboys, but he certainly was expected to play a role early in the season. The franchise invested a second-round pick (No. 44 overall) in him and plans to make him a part of the secondary moving forward. But missing the first few weeks of your rookie season is never an ideal start.

The good news is the injury isn’t detrimental to Joseph’s season. Three weeks is only a small portion of a long NFL schedule. Shortly after Sunday’s injury, Joseph tweeted out that he’ll be back better than ever.

Minor will be back and better 🙏

— Kelvin Joseph (@bossmanfat1) August 29, 2021

Joseph played one season of football in Lexington after transferring over from LSU. Suiting up for the ‘Cats in 2020, he started in nine games recording 25 total tackles, four interceptions, a pass break up, and a tackle for loss. He was named to the All-SEC Fourth Team by Phil Steele.

Dallas finished the preseason 0-4 after falling to the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-14 on Sunday. The Cowboys will open the 2021 season on Thursday, Sept. 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.