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Johnathan Lee Joseph (born April 16, 1984) is a former American football cornerback. He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at South Carolina and was drafted by the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
in the first round of the
2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...
. Joseph also played for the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
, Tennessee Titans, and
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
.


College career

Joseph began his college football career at Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kansas in 2003. He was ranked the 31st-best JUCO player in the nation by ''College Football News'' and earned all-conference honors. Joseph recorded three interceptions, one for a touchdown, and 43 tackles. He also recorded a sack and two pass break-ups. Joseph transferred to the University of South Carolina, where he played for
South Carolina Gamecocks football The South Carolina Gamecocks football program represents the University of South Carolina. The Gamecocks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern ...
team in 2004 and 2005. He started at cornerback his first two games of the 2004 season, recording two tackles in his first game against Vanderbilt and forcing a fumble. Joseph broke his foot in the first quarter against the
Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...
, and spent the remainder of the year rehabilitating his injury. Joseph was scheduled to have a big season in 2005, along with teammate and fellow defensive back Ko Simpson. He earned the Outstanding Defensive Back Award in spring practice and recorded two tackles and a broken up pass in the Garnet and Black Game. Joseph finished the season with 55 tackles, four interceptions, and nine broken up passes.


Professional career

A year before the NFL Draft, Joseph was not regarded as a highly touted prospect and wasn't on any big boards since he was still an underclassman and only had played two games at South Carolina. He began to improve his stock after playing well in 2005. Joseph was invited to the NFL Combine and after running a 4.31 40-yard dash, his draft stock immediately soared. Scouts and analysts projected him as a first or second-round pick. Joseph was ranked the third-best cornerback by NFLDraftScout.com.


Cincinnati Bengals

The
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
selected Joseph in the first round (24th overall) of the
2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...
. He was the third cornerback selected in the first round (15th
Tye Hill John Tye Hill (born June 3, 1982) is an American former college and professional football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons. He played college football for Clemson University, and earned consensus All ...
, 19th Antonio Cromartie).


2006 season

On July 31, 2006, the Bengals signed Joseph to a five-year, $8.10 million contract with $4.82 million guaranteed and a
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $1.09 million. He entered training camp competing with veteran
Tory James Tory Steven James (born May 18, 1973) is a former American football cornerback who played eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). James attended Archbishop Shaw High School before going to college at Louisiana State University, an ...
and Deltha O'Neal for a starting cornerback position. Joseph was named the third cornerback on the depth chart behind O'Neal and James to begin the season and was named the nickelback. Joseph earned the start over O'Neal in the season-opener against the Kansas City Chiefs and finished with three solo tackles in a 23–10 victory. On November 12, 2006, Joseph started his third game and made five solo tackles in a 31–16 victory over the New Orleans Saints. He started in place of Deltha O'Neal who suffered a shoulder injury the previous week and would miss the following three games. Joseph remained the starter the rest of the season. During a Week 13 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, he recorded seven combined tackles and a season-high four pass deflections in a 13–7 victory. On December 31, 2006, Joseph made a season-high ten combined tackles and two pass deflections in a 23–17 loss to the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. Joseph finished his rookie season with 58 combined tackles (45 solo) and 20 pass break-ups in 16 games and nine starts.


2007 season

With the departure of
Tory James Tory Steven James (born May 18, 1973) is a former American football cornerback who played eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). James attended Archbishop Shaw High School before going to college at Louisiana State University, an ...
in free agency and Deltha O'Neal receiving shoulder surgery in the off-season, Joseph was slated to be the Bengals' starting cornerback. He faced competition for his starting position after the Bengals drafted cornerback Leon Hall with the 18th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Joseph was named the starting right cornerback, opposite Deltha O'Neal, to begin the season. Hall and O'Neal were the starters for the season-opener against the Baltimore Ravens, but Joseph made two combined tackles in the 27–20 victory. The following week, he made his first start of the season and recorded three solo tackles in a 51–45 loss to the Cleveland Browns. On October 21, 2007, Joseph made five combined tackles and intercepted Chad Pennington for the first pick of his career. He returned it for a 42-yard touchdown and helped defeat
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
by a score of 38–31. On November 25, 2007, he recorded five combined tackles, three pass deflections, and intercepted Vince Young as the Bengals routed the Titans 35–6. The next game, Joseph made a season-high seven solo tackles and intercepted Ben Roethlisberger's pass during a 24–10 loss to the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. In Week 16, he made a season-high tying seven combined tackles and intercepted Cleveland Browns' quarterback Derek Anderson in a 19–14 victory. Joseph finished the 2007 season with 62 combined tackles (49 solo), 15 pass deflections, four interceptions, and a touchdown. He was second on the team with four interceptions, behind Leon Hall's five interceptions.


2008 season

After Deltha O'Neal left during free agency, Leon Hall and Joseph became the Bengals' starting cornerbacks. He was named the left cornerback to begin the regular season. Joseph started the season-opener against the Baltimore Ravens and made five combined tackles and three pass deflections, and recovered Ray Rice's fumble and returned it for a 65-yard touchdown in a 17–10 loss. He missed three games (Weeks 3–5) with an ankle injury and returned as a starter in Week 6, making three solo tackles and three pass deflections in a 26–14 loss to the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
. On November 2, 2008, Joseph recorded a career-high 15 combined tackle (11 solo) and two pass deflections in a 21–19 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the next game, he made five combined tackles and three pass deflections, and intercepted
Donovan McNabb Donovan Jamal McNabb (born November 25, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. Before his NFL career, he played football and b ...
in a 13–13 tie with the Philadelphia Eagles. On November 21, 2008, Joseph was added to injured-reserve after a recurring foot injury. Joseph finished with 42 combined tackles (31 solo), 13 pass breakups, an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown in eight games and seven starts.


2009 season

Joseph returned to his starting role in 2009 and combined with Leon Hall to become one of the better cornerback duos in the league. On September 27, 2008, Joseph made six combined tackles and a pass deflection, and intercepted Ben Roethlisberger and returned it for a 30-yard touchdown, en route to a 22–19 victory against the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. The following game, he recorded two solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted Derek Anderson in a 23–20 victory over the Cleveland Browns. During a Week 5 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, Joseph had three solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted
Joe Flacco Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Delaware after transferring from Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Baltim ...
in a 17–14 victory. He had three consecutive games with an interception, which marked the longest streak of his career. On December 6, 2009, he made a season-high eight solo tackles and a pass deflection in a 23–13 defeat over the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. In Week 15, Joseph racked up six solo tackles and intercepted Matt Cassel for his sixth interception of the season, as the Bengals routed the Kansas City Chiefs 17–10. Joseph finished the season with 69 combined tackles (58 solo), 20 deflected passes, and a forced fumble in 16 games and starts. He also made a career-high six interceptions and returned one for a touchdown. He was ranked the sixth best cornerback by Pro Football Focus and posted a +14.5 in the measures. The Bengals finished atop the
AFC North The American Football Conference – Northern Division or AFC North is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division was adopted after the restructuring of the 2002 NFL s ...
with a 10–6 record. They faced the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
in the AFC Wildcard game and Joseph made five combined tackles in the 24–14 loss. After the season, '' USA Today'' named Joseph to their annual "All-Joe" team which recognizes quality players that don't get their due. In December 2009, '' Sports Illustrated'' writer Peter King called Joseph and Hall "the best tandem in the NFL". Leon Hall and Joseph were named the Cincinnati Bengals' co- MVPS.


2010 season

The Bengals entered the season with high expectations after ranking fourth in yards allowed in 2009. With the addition of Adam Jones, they entered with one of the most talented cornerback teams in the league. Hall and Joseph were ranked the third best cornerback tandem in 2009 by the ''AFC North Blog'', behind Al Harris and
Charles Woodson Charles Cameron Woodson (born October 7, 1976) is a former American football defensive back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers. He played college football at Mic ...
of the Green Bay Packers and Darrelle Revis and Lito Sheppard of the New York Jets. Joseph started the season-opener against the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
and made six solo tackles in a 38–24 loss. On October 10, 2010, he recorded two combined tackles and two pass deflections, and intercepted
Josh Freeman Joshua Tyler Freeman (born January 13, 1988) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Kansas State University, and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Freeman became th ...
in a 24–21 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Joseph missed Weeks 7 and 8 with a sprained ankle and returned in Week 9 making four combined tackles in a 27–21 loss to the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. On November 21, 2010, he recorded two solo tackles and intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick in a 49–31 loss to the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
. Joseph finished the season with a career-lows 42 combined tackles (37 solo), eight pass deflections, three interceptions, and a touchdown in 12 games and starts. At the end of the season, he completed his rookie contract and became a free agent. Joseph entered negotiations with the Bengals and received two offers from them.


Houston Texans

On July 29, 2011, the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
signed Joseph to a five-year, $48.75 million contract with $23.50 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $12.50 million. Joseph and former
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
safety Danieal Manning were signed to help improve a defense that was ranked 30th overall and 32nd in pass defense.


2011 season

Joseph entered the 2011 season as the Texans' ''de facto'' starting cornerback, opposite
Kareem Jackson Kareem Jackson (born April 10, 1988) is an American football strong safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2010 NF ...
. Joseph started the season-opener and made five combined tackles in a 34–7 victory over the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
. The following week, he recorded four solo tackles and three pass deflections, and intercepted Miami Dolphins' quarterback Chad Henne in a 23–13 victory. It was his first interception as a Texan. During Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints, Joseph racked up three solo tackles and two pass deflections, and intercepted Drew Brees in the 40–33 loss. On October 16, 2011, Joseph made a season-high seven combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted Baltimore Ravens quarterback
Joe Flacco Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Delaware after transferring from Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Baltim ...
in a 29–14 road loss. Joseph finished his first season with the Texans with a total of four interceptions and 15 passes defended. He also registered 44 combined tackles (40 solo) and a forced fumble. On December 28, 2011, Joseph was invited to the
2012 Pro Bowl The 2012 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2011 season. It took place at 2:00 pm local time on Sunday, January 29, 2012, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The AFC defeated the NFC, 59–41. The 59 point ...
. and was named a second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press. On January 7, 2012, Joseph made six solo tackles and intercepted Andy Dalton in a 31–10 victory over his former team, the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
. marking the Texans first ever playoff victory. During the AFC Divisional Round, the Texans were defeated by the Ravens. Joseph made two solo tackles in the game. On January 29, 2012, he appeared in his first career Pro Bowl and intercepted Cam Newton, as the AFC defeated the
NFC NFC may refer to: Psychology * Need for cognition, in psychology * Need for closure, social psychological term Sports * NFC Championship Game, the National Football Conference Championship Game * NCAA Football Championship (Philippines) * Nati ...
, 59–41.


2012 season

On May 9, 2012, Joseph was announced as the 73rd-ranked player on the NFL Top 100. Joseph started the season-opener and finished the 30–10 victory over the Miami Dolphins with five combined tackles and a pass deflection, and intercepted Ryan Tannehill. On October 14, 2012, he made a season-high seven combined tackles in a 42–24 loss to the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
. The following week, Joseph made five combined tackles and a pass deflection, and intercepted
Joe Flacco Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Delaware after transferring from Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Baltim ...
and returned it for a 52-yard touchdown in a 43–13 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Joseph missed Weeks 11 and 12 due to a groin injury. Joseph finished the season with 57 combined tackles (52 solo), 11 pass deflections, two interceptions, and touchdown in 14 games and starts. He was selected to his second Pro Bowl along with eight of his Texans teammates.


2013 season

During the off-season, Joseph had surgery to repair two sports hernias he had endured through the year before and attributed the defensive passing game falling to 16th in 2012 to multiple hamstring, groin, and hernia injuries. He entered training camp at 100%. Joseph started the season-opener against the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
and made two solo tackles and two pass deflections in a 31–28 victory. In Week 3, he made two solo tackles, three pass deflections, and intercepted
Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played his first 10 seasons for the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson is widely regarded ...
for his first pick of the season in a 23–20 loss to the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
. On December 13, 2013, Joseph made a season-high nine combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted Andrew Luck in a 25–3 loss to the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
. Joseph had a surgery in December to repair a torn ligament in his toe. Joseph finished the season with a combined 47 tackles (43 solo), 16 pass deflections, and three interceptions in 15 games and starts. The Texans finished the season with a 2–14 record and head coach Gary Kubiak was fired after Week 15.
Football Outsiders Football Outsiders (FO) is a website started in July 2003 which focuses on advanced statistical analysis of the NFL. The site is run by a staff of regular writers, who produce a series of weekly columns using both the site's in-house statistics ...
ranked him fifth among qualified corners with a 63% success rate.


2014 season

Joseph returned to his starting role, along with
Kareem Jackson Kareem Jackson (born April 10, 1988) is an American football strong safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2010 NF ...
, under new head coach Bill O'Brien to begin 2014. In the season-opener, Joseph made 11 solo tackles in a 17–6 victory over the Washington Redskins. On November 23, 2014, he made three combined tackles, a pass deflection, and returned an interception for a 60-yard touchdown in a 22–13 loss to the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
. Joseph finished the season with a career-high 75 combined tackles (70 solo), 11 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, and a touchdown in 16 games and starts. Joseph's rank fell to 30th in Football Outsiders success rate. Pro Football Focus ranked him the 20th-best coverman in 2014.


2015 season

Joseph entered training camp facing competition from
Kevin Johnson Kevin Johnson may refer to: Entertainment *Kevin Johnson (singer) (born 1942), Australian singer * Kevin Johnson (ventriloquist) (born 1970), ventriloquist on ''America's Got Talent'' * Kevin Royal Johnson (born 1961), American singer-songwriter a ...
who was selected with the 16th overall pick in the
2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...
and
A. J. Bouye Arlandus Jacob Bouye (born August 16, 1991) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at UCF, and was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2013. Bouye has also played for the Jackson ...
.
Kareem Jackson Kareem Jackson (born April 10, 1988) is an American football strong safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2010 NF ...
and Joseph were able to maintain their starting roles to begin the season. On June 18, 2015, the Texans signed him to a two-year, $13.50 million contract with $11.50 million guaranteed. Joseph started the season-opener against the Kansas City Chiefs and made four solo tackles and a pass deflection in a 27–20 loss. On November 16, 2015, Joseph made four solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted Andy Dalton in a 10–6 victory over the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
. In Week 12, he made a season-high seven combined tackles in, as the Texans routed the New Orleans Saints 24–6. The Texans finished atop the AFC South with a 9–7 record. Joseph started the AFC Wildcard game and made two combined tackles as the Texans were defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 30–0. He finished the season with 56 combined tackles (46 solo), a career-high 22 pass deflections, and a touchdown in 16 games and starts.
Football Outsiders Football Outsiders (FO) is a website started in July 2003 which focuses on advanced statistical analysis of the NFL. The site is run by a staff of regular writers, who produce a series of weekly columns using both the site's in-house statistics ...
ranked him 31st with a 54% success rate.


2016 season

Joseph started the season-opener against the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
and made four combined tackles and a pass deflection in a 23–14 victory. On November 13, 2016, Joseph recorded a season-high eight solo tackles and a pass deflection during a 24–21 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. During Week 13 against the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, he made four solo tackles but left in the third quarter of the 21–13 loss, due to a rib injury. Joseph missed the next two games with two cracked ribs and a bruised lung. Joseph finishing the season with 45 combined tackles (38 solo), nine pass deflections, and posted his first season in his career without an interception in 13 games and 11 starts. The Texans finished atop the AFC South with a 9–7 record. On January 7, 2017, Joseph made ten solo tackles and three pass deflections in a 27–14 AFC Wildcard victory over the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
.


2017 season

In Week 5, Joseph collected a season-high six combined tackles in a 42–34 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. In the next game, he recorded three combined tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, two interceptions, and a touchdown during a 33–17 victory against the Cleveland Browns. Joseph returned an interception by Kevin Hogan, that was intended for
Duke Johnson Randy "Duke" Johnson Jr. (born September 23, 1993) is an American football running back for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round (77th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. ...
, for an 82-yard touchdown in the second quarter. His performance in Week 6 earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Joseph finished the 2017 season with 47 combined tackles (37 solo), nine pass deflections, two interceptions, and a touchdown in 16 games and starts. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 75.7, which ranked 65th among all qualifying cornerbacks in 2017.


2018 season

On March 15, 2018, the Texans signed Joseph to a two-year, $10 million contract with $3.90 million guaranteed. During Week 6 against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
, Joseph intercepted
Nathan Peterman Nathan Michael Peterman (born May 4, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Pittsburgh following a stint with Tennessee and was selected by the Buffal ...
late in the fourth quarter and returned it for a 28-yard touchdown to win the game 20–13.


2019 season

In the 2019 season, Joseph recorded 51 tackles, 13 pass deflections, and an interception in 14 games and 11 starts. On March 18, 2020, Joseph and the Texans mutually agreed to part ways, making him a free agent.


Tennessee Titans

On May 6, 2020, Joseph signed with the Tennessee Titans. During Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings, Joseph recorded his first interception and forced fumble as a Titan in the narrow 31–30 road victory. During a Week 8 31-20 road loss to the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
, he gave up eight completions for 92 yards and a touchdown. Joseph was released on November 3.


Arizona Cardinals

On November 11, 2020, Joseph was signed by the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
. He made his Cardinals debut during a Week 10 32–30 victory over the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
. Joseph was placed on injured reserve on December 12, 2020.


Retirement

On June 10, 2021, Joseph announced his retirement after 15 seasons in the NFL.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


Postseason


Personal life

Joseph was a criminal justice major at the University of South Carolina. He and his wife, Delaina reside in Houston, Texas. Joseph has three children; Jay’vion, Johnathan II, and Danae. He is of
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
an descent. Joseph's father, John Joseph, worked at a cotton mill for over 30 years and died in 2014 at age 76 after having emphysema that developed into lung cancer from being a smoker. He credits his father for molding him into the man he is today and instilling core values. Joseph always practices yoga and pilates to help his body deal better with age.


References


External links


Houston Texans player profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Johnathan 1984 births Living people People from Rock Hill, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina American Conference Pro Bowl players American sportspeople of Haitian descent American football cornerbacks Coffeyville Red Ravens football players South Carolina Gamecocks football players Cincinnati Bengals players Houston Texans players Tennessee Titans players Arizona Cardinals players