JOSEPH RISING IN THE RANKS
Former Bears DB, exec now making mark in Eagles’ front office
Dwayne Joseph hounded Jim Miller for weeks in 2001. Joseph, then the Bears’ director of player development, wanted Miller, then a Bears quarterback, to fulfill a promise he had made to his parents.
‘‘ He said: ‘ Jim, do you know you’re one credit shy, one class shy of getting your degree at Michigan State? We need to make this happen. You need to go back and get your degree,’ ’’ Miller said. ‘‘ He was relentless, really kind of pushing me. I relented just due to his persistence because I knew he was right.’’
Joseph, whom players and colleagues call ‘‘ DJ,’’ found a statistics course for Miller to take at Lake Forest College that would count as credit.
‘‘ I ended up writing a thesis paper on basically the linear equation of why quarterback salaries were increasing,’’ Miller said with a laugh.
His degree in materials and logistics management from Michigan State arrived in the mail.
‘‘ It was really his motivation that motivated me to get something done,’’ Miller said ‘‘ He was always like that with players.’’
Nearly two decades later, Joseph’s ability to connect with players played a role in the Eagles’ rise this season, which ended with their 41- 33 victory Sunday against the Patriots in Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis.
As the Eagles’ director of pro scouting, Joseph had an overlooked but important role in their signing of former Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery, among others.
Joseph, a defensive back for the Bears in the 1990s, joined former general manager Phil Emery’s staff in 2012, first as assistant director of pro scouting, then as associate director of pro personnel. Their relationship started when Emery was a Bears area scout in 1998.
Jeffery said Thursday that he trusted Joseph during free agency. It started with Joseph’s connection with Jeffery’s agents, Eugene Parker, who died in March 2016, and Tory Dandy.
‘‘ DJ played a huge part [ in signing with the Eagles], just knowing him from being in Chicago,’’ Jeffery said. ‘‘ It was just knowing how much [ my agents] valued his opinion and things like that.
‘‘ And [ myself], just knowing DJ, he has always been a genuine person. He just always kept it real with me.’’
It’s an example of how certain members of a front office can influence personnel decisions and help form teams.
In NFL circles, Joseph is known for establishing a working rapport with agents and their players. A former colleague said Joseph is a familyoriented person who is respected for his meticulous approach to scouting but also for his ‘‘ firm and very direct’’ approach to discussions.
‘‘ I don’t know why more people haven’t talked about him being a future GM because he will be one,’’ a rival scout said.
The Bears knew all about Joseph, 45. After cornerback Charles Tillman retired, he highlighted Joseph’s influence on his career.
GM Ryan Pace wanted to retain Joseph in 2015, but he accepted his current position with the Eagles.
Former Bears coach Dave Wannstedt isn’t surprised by Joseph’s rise. Wannstedt’s Bears signed Joseph as an undrafted rookie out of Syracuse in 1994. A season later, Joseph made two interceptions and forced a fumble in 16 games.
In 2004, Wannstedt hired Joseph as a pro scout. Joseph spent the next eight years with the Dolphins, including two with Alabama coach Nick Saban.
‘‘ Some of the best coaches in any sport are the ones who are overachievers, who were not the best players [ but] had to find a way to do it,’’ Wannstedt said. ‘‘ I think the same thing with scouts. And that’s Dwayne. He understands what it takes to play and what a player has to have on the field [ and] off the field to be successful.’’
Just ask Miller, who went 11- 2 as the Bears’ starter in the season he received his degree.
‘‘ He understands players’ mindsets very well,’’ Miller said. ‘‘ When he knew something was right to do, he pushed the players to really go after their goals and reach their goals.’’