Despite an inconsistent start to the first half of the 2018 season, Karl Joseph made strides in the second half as a future piece for the Oakland Raiders.
Coming into the 2018 season with new head coach Jon Gruden back at the helm for his second stint, all eyes were on the cornerstones of the Oakland Raiders to see how much of a impact they’d make and the speed at which their play developed under a new coach, new staff, and new system. Among the players that fit the bill, 2016 first round pick Karl Joseph was among those expected to take a leap in 2018.
Instead, the Raiders got off to a rough start to the season and Joseph’s play and number of snaps diminished as the weeks continued on. At one point in the former part of the season, Joseph effectively saw no snaps and was one of many names on the radar come the trade deadline, waiting to see if he’d don a uniform other than Silver and Black to finish the season.
Joseph ended up staying put in Oakland, resulting in much more snaps and playing time in the latter half of the season, and its safe to say that he answered any doubts as to whether or not he warrants a spot in the future plans of the Raiders. In a season full of ups and downs, Joseph was among the few bright spots as Oakland closed out 2018.
Here’s a look at his season in review, as well as how he graded out for the 2018 season.
Expectations
After some solid play in his first two seasons in the NFL, year three was expected to be one in which he took another leap in his development and solidified his hold on the strong safety position for the defense. With Paul Guenther being brought on board as defensive coordinator, there was hope that the defensive schemes that would be employed would help Joseph cement himself as a key focal point of a defense that was meant to improve compared to years past.
Reality
Karl Joseph did eventually make strides to showcase exactly why the Raiders selected him in the first round in 2016, though it effectively took a little later than most fans expected. After sparingly getting snaps and playing time as the first half of the season rolled on, Joseph survived being dealt at the trade deadline and proved that the starting snaps he got in the second half of 2018 was warranted.
By the end of 2018, Joseph recorded 34 solo tackles, an interception, and two pass deflections. Perhaps most highlight-worthy were the multiple hard hits he laid on opposing backs and receivers to close out the season. Joseph still needs to work on his reads and coverages, but his hard hitting highlight hits were a great compliment the improved play of the secondary and the likes of Gareon Conley.
Looking Ahead
Joseph is already on the books next season, and he was one of the few that showed strong improvement in the second half of the season that helped turn around the play of the defense. For a good amount of games in the latter half of the season, it was the Raiders defense that held up its own end of the bargain (see Week 14 against the Steelers) to keep Oakland in the game. Joseph was among those responsible for the turnaround.
He’ll be among those to keep an eye out in year two of Guenther’s defensive system and the hope is that he’ll continue to improve his reads and coverages alongside with the hard hits that have become his staple. If the Raiders can add in a solid compliment at free safety, whether through the draft or free agency, then Joseph has a great chance to make a leap in 2019 and be a cornerstone of the defense.