Safety Joseph gives Raiders striking power
On the second play after halftime in Week 10, Chargers running back Melvin Gordon took a shotgun handoff around right end, turned the corner and met Raiders safety Karl Joseph.
Joseph, with a running start from the 40-yard line, hit Gordon near the 32 and knocked him back a yard. Joseph then stepped over a prone Gordon as he got back to his feet for effect.
It’s the type of play Raiders head coach Jon Gruden likely was referencing Monday when he referred to Joseph’s “very good striking ability.”
“He usually arrives in a pretty bad mentality,” Gruden said. “He’s a tough guy.”
Such was the reputation that preceded Joseph when the Raiders drafted the undersized (5-foot-10, 205 pounds) safety from West Virginia in the first round in 2016. But for the early stages of this season, Joseph had few chances to
live up to it.
A starter in 15 games last season, Joseph did not retain that role initially under Gruden and incoming defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. Joseph played just 10 defensive snaps total in Weeks 1 and 2 against the Rams and Broncos. Then, on his first snap against the Dolphins in Week 3, Joseph injured his hamstring chasing down quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Joseph did not play for the next three weeks, and as the Oct. 30 trade deadline approached, with the Raiders already having dealt firstround picks Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper, speculation swirled that Joseph soon could follow. Joseph was candid this week when asked whether he questioned at any point whether the Raiders still wanted him.
“You hear stuff like that, so of course you wonder that — questions like that and not playing a lot,” Joseph said. “But I try not to focus too much on that, man. I’m still here. Obviously, I’m happy to be here. I want to be here. It was just always about controlling what I can control. … All I could do was just focus on how I’m playing and try to get
“He usually arrives in a pretty bad mentality. He’s a tough guy.”
Jon Gruden, Raiders head coach, on safety Karl Joseph
healthy and get on the field.”
That came in Week 8 against the Colts, when Joseph returned to play 31 defensive snaps. At that point, with the trade deadline still looming, Joseph spent much of a postgame interview answering trade questions and reiterating his desire to stay in Oakland.
After playing 13 snaps in a Week 9 loss to the 49ers, Joseph played 45 and 35 snaps against the Chargers and Cardinals, respectively, in arguably his two best games of the season. He had two sharp hits against the Chargers on Gordon — who’d also eluded a diving Joseph on an early firstdown run — and had five tackles and an interception off a deflected pass at Arizona.
Asked if his play against the Chargers incorporated any extra emotion, Joseph grinned and said: “Not really.”
“Obviously, I’ve always played with a chip on my shoulder,” Joseph said. “That’s how I think I’ve made it this far. All my career, I’ve always played with that chip on my shoulder. I think there was definitely some of that. But just going out there and being excited to get back on the field after not playing a whole lot this year.”
Last week, Guenther said the Raiders are looking for “consistency” from Joseph, and that they see the 25-year-old as “a guy who will continue to progress.” Gruden said Joseph offers “more speed” at the back end of a defense that has been burned often for big gains this season.
“I think he’s improving,” Gruden said. “I think he’s learning this defense. He’s been able to practice, and I think he’s starting to recognize plays and smell plays out. … We need a physical presence at or near the line of scrimmage and I think he can help us do that.”
With the Raiders at 2-8 and rebuilding in their first season under Gruden, part of the next six weeks likely will be spent evaluating which current players will be part of that process. Safety could have particular turnover with Joseph the only current player under contract beyond this year. Safeties Marcus Gilchrist, Reggie Nelson and Erik Harris all will be free agents after the season.
Not able to state much of a case during the first half of the season, Joseph now appears to be getting that chance.
“Of course, it was hard,” Joseph said. “I want to be out there. But things weren’t going that way. So, of course, it’s frustrating. But I’ll always try to stay positive for myself and my mental — just try to control what I can control, come in and work, and get better every day.”