Cornerback Noah Igbinoghene joined the Dallas Cowboys after a trade with the Miami Dolphins for cornerback Kelvin Joseph. On Thursday, Igbinoghene spoke for the first time since coming to Dallas.
How Did Noah Igbinoghene Find Out He Was Being Traded?
Igbinoghene told the media that he was in Miami and on his way to the Dolphins’ practice when they stopped him to tell him he was getting traded to the Cowboys.
“This is an amazing opportunity to be here and play for this team, and so I’m hoping to thrive here, and I’m just gonna put the work in and see how it goes,” said Igbinoghene.
He says he can learn and develop even more in the cornerback room under Trevon Diggs and Stephon Gilmore. As for working with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Igbinoghene says he “lets up his game.”
He explained that he played as a press corner in man coverage in college and feels comfortable doing that. Igbinoghene has seen Quinn use that system and thinks the aggressive play style on defense will allow him to return to that aspect of his game.
Overall, Igbinoghene doesn’t know his role yet, but he’s willing to contribute however he needs to. He wants to earn his teammates’ and coaches’ trust and respect by showing them what he can do.
“Whatever they want me to do, I’m gonna do it. Whether that’s special teams, whether that’s defense, it doesn’t matter whatever they want me to do. I’m going to do it. I’m just, I’m excited to be here. I just want to help this team and serve this team the best way I can.”
How Can Igbinoghene Help on Special Teams?
Igbinoghene is a versatile player who can also be integrated into special teams. But his strength in college was as a kick returner.
During his time at Auburn from 2017-2019, Igbinoghene had 44 kick returns for 1,119 yards and two kick-return touchdowns. In 2019, he had an average of 35.2 yards returned on kickoffs.
Noah Igbinoghene 96 yd KO RET TD for Auburn #OutbackBowl pic.twitter.com/tElU5bUOHR
— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) January 1, 2020
When asked if he hopes to do that in Dallas, Igbinoghene responded, “We got a really good kicker returner and punt returner here, too. We got [KaVontae] Turpin. So I’ve seen a lot about him he’s really talented. But if the opportunity comes as well, I’ll take advantage of it, so we’ll see.”
Igbinoghene Getting a Fresh Start
During Igbinoghene’s time in Miami, he had 29 combined total tackles and one interception within three seasons. But now the 23-year-old is looking at the trade to Dallas as a fresh start for himself — something he says he needed since his career has yet to meet his expectations.
“I’m still young…I was 20 years old, and so there’s a lot of stuff I went through. But now, it made me the man I am today, and I get a new fresh start, new opportunity, new fresh faces. [I] get to gain my respect again on a new team, and I’ll show them what I can do.”
Igbinoghene says his experiences with the Dolphins built his character, and he is thankful for them.
“There was a certain standard of life I was living in college, and I thought it was going to translate to the league, and obviously, it didn’t. So there’s a lot of things just as a man I needed to learn… I feel like crisis really grows you, and so that crisis really developed the character I needed,” said Igbinoghene.
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Overall, he feels that his past is done and that he can be present in the new opportunity ahead of him with the Cowboys.
“I get to go into the new once again and really see what I can do, and I’m excited man, and I’m ready for it. Like I said, all that stuff built me for this moment right here, so it’s a blessing,” said Igbinoghene.