Oakland Raiders: Karl Joseph enjoying solid start to 2019

The Oakland Raiders defense has taken a giant leap forward in 2019, and safety Karl Joseph is proving to be one of the key cogs in the secondary in Year 4.

In 2016, the Oakland Raiders drafted Karl Joseph, a safety from West Virginia with the 14th pick of the first round in the NFL Draft. Joseph, who had earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors, and was West Virginia’s Defensive Player of the Year,  was the highest rated safety in the 2016 draft.

NFL Network draft analyst and now Raiders General Manager, Mike Mayock said this of Karl Joseph after the draft, “With his range, toughness and ability to drop down in the slot and cover man, he’s like a poor man’s Earl Thomas. He says he models his game after Brian Dawkins. Some say he’s much like Bob Sanders. This is a dynamic playmaker.”

Joseph has been a starter for a majority of his four years in the Silver and Black.

Shortly after the 2019 NFL Draft, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden announced that the team would not be exercising his fifth-year option. Gruden had also noted that while the option was not exercised, that it was not an indicator that the Raiders didn’t have Joseph in their plans.

Joseph had started the final eight games of the 2018 season after only playing in ten snaps during the first six games while also missing three games due to a hamstring strain. In those remaining games, Joseph looked to have formulated a keen understanding of defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s defense and finished the season with two sacks, one interception, 48 tackles and two tackles for a loss and was the highest graded Raiders defender on the team according to Pro Football Focus.

In 2019, Joseph has continued his streak of consistent play recording 26 tackles and three tackles for loss in five games and has taken on more of a leadership role with the team. During training camp, Joseph and rookie safety Johnathan Abram changed room assignments so that they could room together to study the defense and develop a chemistry that translated into a solid performance in the Denver game.

Unfortunately, that was the last game that Joseph and Abram would play in together this season after Abram tore his rotator cuff and was placed on season-ending injured reserve.

Guenther has been utilizing Joseph’s power and agility by placing him in the box more during games for run support and intermediate pass coverage, both areas where Joseph excels at. Joseph is a hard-hitting safety who certainly doesn’t shy from contact, his ability to go attack opponents head on hasn’t gone unnoticed as his playing time has increased with production making the beginning of the 2018 season a mere afterthought as now Joseph is averaging 90% of the defensive snaps per game.

Joseph, who admittedly would love to be a Raider for life has done everything in his power to make sure that happens. While Joseph isn’t now focused on his contract situation, he is also aware that this season dictates his future as a Raider and his on field production will be the barometer in which his return will be predicated on.

A player who is notably a fan favorite thanks in part to his hard-hitting defensive style, Joseph is a physical leader on the field who has been prosperous in his second year of the defense and his cognizance of what is expected of him has proven to be beneficial for his growth.

If Joseph continues to make strides in coverage and pass defense it would be expected to see him playing in Las Vegas for many years in the future, his positive attitude and demeanor is infectious, his love of football and his drive for continued growth is what Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock are looking for in players.