Cornerback Noah Igbinoghene has followed Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. from the Dallas Cowboys to the Washington Commanders.
Acquired by the Cowboys in a trade with the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 29, Igbinoghene’s position coach in Dallas was Whitt and his defensive coordinator was Quinn in 2023. Now Quinn is the head coach of the Commanders and Whitt is Washington’s defensive coordinator.
Igbinoghene becomes the fourth player from the Cowboys’ 2023 team to sign as a free agent with Washington this offseason, with the Washington Post and ESPN reporting the former Auburn standout’s signing on Sunday.
In 2023, Igbinoghene played in five games for Dallas, getting on the field for 25 defensive snaps and 77 special-teams plays.
In his first game with Dallas, Igbinoghene scored his first NFL touchdown as he picked up the football after a blocked field-goal attempt and ran 58 yards for a score in the Cowboys’ 40-0 victory over the New York Giants on Sept. 10.
Igbinoghene was an All-State selection in the athlete slot for Hewitt-Trussville in 2016, when the Huskies’ undefeated season ended in a 29-28 loss to Gadsden City in the second round of the AHSAA Class 7A playoffs.
Igbinoghene also was a track-and-field star at Hewitt Trussville, with championships in the AHSAA Class 7A boys’ indoor and outdoor long jump and triple jump as a senior among his achievements.
Coming to Auburn as a wide receiver, Igbinoghene made the switch to the secondary during spring practice in 2018 after one college season as a pass-catcher.
After Igbinoghene’s two seasons in the Tigers’ secondary, Miami made him the 30th selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.
In Igbinoghene’s rookie season, cornerback Byron Jones went down four snaps into the second game, and he missed the third and fourth games.
In for Jones in his second NFL game, Igbinoghene got matched against Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who took a step toward earning first-team All-Pro recognition for the 2020 season with a 153-yard performance. Igbinoghene’s rookie roller coaster also saw him take the blame for a coverage bust on a key play in a 31-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Game 4 after going all the way in the Miami secondary and breaking up a pass in a 31-13 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Game 3.
Jones returned in Game 5, and Igbinoghene played 64 defensive snaps in the remaining 12 games.
In 2021, Igbinoghene played all 66 defensive snaps as an injury replacement in Game 6, and 12 in the remaining 16 contests.
In 2022, Igbinoghene played 238 defensive snaps, with 75 coming as an injury-replacement starter in a 16-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 23. Igbinoghene sealed the victory by making the only interception of his career in the end zone on the Steeler’s final snap.
The Dolphins dealt Igbinoghene to Dallas in exchange for cornerback Kelvin Joseph between the end of the preseason and the start of the regular season in 2023.
During his NFL career, Igbinoghene has played in 37 regular-season games and one playoff contest.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.