2019 Oakland Raiders Position Preview: Safety

Projected Starters: Karl Joseph and Jonathan Abrams

Karl Joseph

Karl Joseph’s future with the team has been in constant question since last season, and with the team declining his fifth-year options, things aren’t looking good. Jon Gruden has stated that just because the team did not pick up Joseph’s option doesn’t mean they don’t still want him. Though not picking up his option and actively shopping him at the trade deadline last season would say otherwise. Joseph started the season in Jon Gruden’s dog house and was basically an afterthought from weeks 1-9. However, from week ten until the end of the season he played solid football and was one of the Raiders best defensive players.

Now in 2019, will Joseph finally get to play more deep safety with the team drafting another safety Johnathan Abram who is best in the box?

This is something many fans have been asking for so it will be interesting to see how Paul Guenther manages the situation.

Johnathan Abram

The 27th pick of this past draft, the Raiders selected Mississippi State’s Johnathan Abram and it was a bit of a shock to me. Oakland clearly needed someone on the backend of the secondary who could be a rangy playmaker, but instead, they chose another box safety. Abram is a very physical player who is good in the underneath zone, but he’s not someone you want playing deep half because it diminishes his strengths. He plays a very similar style to Karl Joseph and is only an inch taller, so the issues of covering big tight ends haven’t really been resolved.

However, his play style is something that can translate quick, and he looks ready to be on the field early and often in 2019. Perhaps some of his big-time hits are what the Raiders defense needs to wake them up.