Since Noah Igbinoghene joined Miami from Auburn as the 30th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, his career hadn’t developed the way he or the Dolphins wanted, so the cornerback views his trade to the Dallas Cowboys last week as a “fresh start.”

“I feel like I honestly needed it,” Igbinoghene said. “I’ll just say my career hasn’t really gone up to my expectations and I’m still young. I’m still 23 years old. When I came in, I was 20 years old, so there’s a lot of stuff I went through. But it made me the man I am today, and I get a new, fresh start, a new opportunity, new, fresh faces. Get to gain my respect again on a new team and show them what I can do.”

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Coming to Auburn from Hewitt-Trussville High School 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 a surprise first-round selection.

In Igbinoghene’s rookie season, cornerback Byron Jones went down four snaps into the second game, and he missed the third and fourth games, giving Igbinoghene an early opportunity to get on the field.

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.

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.

Last season, 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 Steelers’ final snap. But Igbinoghene was designated as a game-day inactive for six of Miami’s final eight games last season.

During the offseason, the Dolphins declined to use their option for a fifth season on Igbinoghene’s rookie contract, which will make him a free agent after the 2023 season.

“The stuff that I went through in Miami, it built me and it built my character,” Igbinoghene said. “And I needed to go through that, honestly. 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. And so there was a lot of things as a man I needed to learn. Like I said in a press conference in Miami, I feel like crisis really grows you, and so that crisis really developed that character I needed.

“And now God blessed me. I didn’t even know this was going to happen two days ago, but it’s something I’ve been praying about. Maybe I was praying about this and praying for this, and God really blessed me and sent me over here. And so I get a fresh start, new faces. I feel like my past is done away with. Now I get to start a new future, a new present, and just be in the present, whereas in Miami I was constantly thinking about the past, and I think that kind of messed up my game when I got into the game – afraid to make mistakes, afraid to fail. But, you know, you can’t be afraid to fail in life.

“You got to take risks. You got to go after what you want. Just moving to corner, that’s a risk. Just playing corner in general is a risk. And so back at that time, there was no fear because I was new at it, and so it was just all new and so I kind of relate it to now. I get go into the new once again and really see what I can do. I’m excited, man, and I’m ready for it. All that stuff built me for this moment right here, so it’s a blessing.”

The Dolphins weren’t trying to get rid of Igbinoghene, Miami coach Mike McDaniel said.

“That was something that we definitely weren’t chasing; we were approached with — there was some interest there,” McDaniel said. “Really, regardless, it wasn’t planned. It wasn’t a situation where we were really exploring the idea of not having him on the roster. But when given the opportunity and our specific team with our specific needs, we thought it was both a win for us.

“I’m so happy for and really proud of Noah because everybody wants to be a first-round draft pick. As a 20-year-old, that sounds cool, but there’s a burden with that. What you’ve seen is a guy grow as a player and as a person. I think being able to be 23 years old and go to a place with a fresh start, specifically with a guy that I’ve worked with in (Dallas defensive coordinator) Dan Quinn and just knowing his coaching mentality, I think it’s a good fit for them. I think it’s a good fit for us. That’s how deals are done.”

The Dolphins got cornerback Kelvin Joseph for Igbinoghene.

Miami general manager Chris Grier said he was looking for a cornerback more adept at playing in the slot.

“We’ve been kind of looking for another nickel player,” Grier said. “And so I did some searching around, talked to Dallas, and then they called and they asked about Noah because they need some help on the outside, I assume. We don’t really go into each other’s needs. But for us, the chance to add Kelvin as a guy that can play inside and out but has played the nickel and did in the preseason here well. And he’s played special teams, which was something we needed.

“It was tough. Noah has worked hard here since he’s been here. He’s had ups and downs, but he’s a competitive kid. I’m so proud of him. He won us a game last year with a big pick on Sunday night to end the game. And making the transition from receiver to corner is not an easy thing for a kid. He was so young, I think 20 years old when he got here, so I’m happy for him. We were both a little sad leaving, but I’m very happy for the opportunity for him because they really wanted him, so I’m excited for him.”

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said Joseph would have a greater opportunity to play as the slot corner with Miami than he would have at Dallas, so “just the way we’re looking at our defensive backfield, this was a move we thought we were interested in.”

“I liked him coming out,” McCarthy said about Igbinoghene. “I do recall his kickoff-return ability, too. You know, vertical speed. He’s more outside than inside, and that was part of the reason why we had the interest. You see him lining up against top receivers. I was impressed with his video, so I think he’s a really good addition for us.”

With Stephon Gilmore and former Alabama standout Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys have what’s considered one of the best cornerback tandems in the NFL. But Igbinoghene said he thought the Dallas defense would be a better fit for him.

“When I first moved to corner in college, it was a press corner, man system,” Igbinoghene said. “They do a lot of that here, so I get to really go back to what I was doing. … It’s an aggressive defense, and I get to really show what I can do when it comes to that aspect of the game.”

The Cowboys will square off against the New York Giants in the first Sunday night game of the 2023 NFL season when they visit MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at 7:20 p.m. CDT Sept. 10.

“Now the vision and the dream and goals that I have for my career, I feel like it can really take place here with the Dallas Cowboys,” Igbinogene said.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.