Raiders safety Karl Joseph named a top-100 free agent in 2020
By Brad Weiss
Pro Football Focus recently released their list of the top-100 free agents entering 2020, and Raiders safety Karl Joseph was among them.
The Oakland Raiders selected Karl Joseph with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, adding the talented safety out of West Virginia. Coming into the league with a reputation of being a guy who is not afraid to sacrifice his body to make the big hit, Joseph was expected to be a cornerstone of the Raiders secondary for years to come.
Joseph battled with T.J. Carrie and Nate Allen to start his career, but ended up making nine starts as a rookie, and has since been a constant in the Raiders secondary. While his play has been up and down throughout his career, he played his best football this past season, and many feel the Raiders will bring him back as they head to Las Vegas.
In their 2020 free agent list of the top-100 players available, Pro Football Focus listed the safety as the No. 43 overall player. Joseph, coming off his best season as a Raider, will likely be a target of the team to bring back as they head to Las Vegas, though they certainly have depth to move on from him as well.
During the 2019 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected Mississippi State safety Johnathan Abram, who also has a reputation of being a hard-hitting safety. Abram showed his ability throughout the preseason, and in the season opener, where he made some outstanding plays in the secondary during the team’s victory over the Denver Broncos.
Abram would go on to miss the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury, but he is healthy heading into 2020, and will be a starter for this team. In addition, veteran Erik Harris proved to be one of the more consistent players for this Raiders defense all season long, and could easily slide into a starting role if Joseph is allowed to walk in free agency.
Finally, the plan for the Raiders in 2020 is to move Lamarcus Joyner to safety instead of cornerback, so that is three players who can fill the void if Joseph moves on.
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Joseph is a solid NFL safety, and there is no doubt that he is going to latch on somewhere else if the Raiders roll with Abram, Harris, and Joyner as their top-3 safeties in 2020. Of course, being a former first round pick of the team, and coming off his best season with the Raiders, it would not be surprising if they brought him back as well, so this is definitely a player to keep an eye on this offseason.