FRISCO, Texas — Troubled cornerback Kelvin Joseph has been a full and active participant at the Dallas Cowboys offseason workouts the past couple of weeks and will continue to do so, despite his involvement in a Dallas murder investigation, team owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday.
Jones says he’s received “no information, period” from the league on whether Joseph’s involvement in the shooting death investigation “in any way affects his status during the year or during offseason activities.”
“It’s under investigation,” Jones said. “I don’t know any more than I’ve seen written. I have no information that impacts his status this time of year. He’s very active and involved in getting ready for the upcoming season.”
Dallas police charged two men, Aries Jones, 28, and Tivione English, 21, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in connection with the killing of Cameron Ray on March 18. The arrests came the day after Joseph met with Dallas police on April 15, four weeks after the shooting.
Joseph admits to being a passenger in the vehicle but said he was unarmed and he was not the shooter.
However, under Texas law, an individual can face charges for being a passenger in the vehicle involved in a drive-by shooting. The investigation is still ongoing, as are the inquiries by the Cowboys and the NFL.
The case is being reviewed under the league’s personal conduct policy, and he could be suspended even if he never faces charges.
Jones said that anything that would alter Joseph’s status is in the hands of “the authorities or the league” and he’s “gotten no information on that. Period. Nothing, just nothing I could comment on. I certainly don’t have any opinion. I don’t know any of the details.”
The Cowboys are waiting to see how everything plays out with the investigation.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said the only thing he has talked to Joseph about are “what we are doing for the coming season.”
“He’s been here throughout the month of March and a full participant here the first couple of weeks,” McCarthy said. “We’re watching the process. That’s all we really have to comment on right now.”
Jones said that Joseph’s current situation will not affect how they view the cornerback position in the draft.
The Cowboys picked Joseph in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, despite red flags and character concerns during a college career that began at LSU before he was suspended and transferred to Kentucky.
Jones expressed no regrets about taking a chance on Joseph last year. He said the Cowboys did their homework on him and intimated that he likely would have been picked higher it not for the red flags.
“I felt that we had him about where we should have him relative to his skill level,” Jones said. “We thought he was one of the top, talent-wise. He got docked last year. So I thought we had him graded just right.”
The Cowboys had hoped Joseph would come in and challenge Anthony Brown for the starting spot at left cornerback opposite Pro Bowler Trevon Diggs. But Joseph missed a lot time because of injuries and illness, playing in just 10 games.
The Cowboys were anticipating big jump from Joseph in his second year.
Now, the question is whether he will get that opportunity?
What is known is that is he a full and active participant in offseason practices.
