Karl Joseph
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Karl Myrthell Joseph (born September 8, 1993) is an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played college football at
West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
and was drafted by the Raiders in the first round of the
2016 NFL Draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015 NFL Draft, 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park (Chicago), ...
. He has also played for the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
.


Early years

Joseph attended
Edgewater High School Edgewater High School is a public secondary school located in the College Park, Orlando, College Park section of Orlando, Florida. It is operated by the Orange County Public Schools system. The athletic teams are known as the 'Fighting Eagles' wit ...
in Orlando, Florida. He committed to
West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...
to play college football.


College career

Joseph started all 13 games as a true freshman at West Virginia in 2012, recording 104 tackles, two interceptions, and one sack. He started all 12 games his sophomore year and had 68 tackles and one interception. He again started all 13 games as a junior in 2014, recording 92 tackles and one interception. Joseph started the first four games his senior year in 2015, before suffering a season-ending knee injury. At the time of the injury, he was leading the nation with five interceptions.


Professional career

Coming out of West Virginia, Joseph was projected by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts to be a second or third round pick. He received an invitation to the NFL combine, but was unable to perform any physical drills due to a knee injury he suffered in October. On April 4, 2016, he was among 22 prospects who performed at West Virginia's pro day, that included
Wendell Smallwood Wendell Lynn Smallwood Jr. (born January 20, 1994) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at West Virginia and was selected in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Smallw ...
, K. J. Dillon,
Nick Kwiatkoski Nick Kwiatkoski (born May 26, 1993) is an American football linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at West Virginia. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round (113th ove ...
, and Daryl Worley. He performed the bench press and met with coaches, team representatives, and scouts from all 32 NFL teams, that included Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach
Mike Tomlin Michael Pettaway Tomlin (born March 15, 1972) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the Steelers in 2007, he has led the team to ten playoff runs, s ...
. Joseph was ranked the second best strong safety prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com and was ranked the seventh best defensive back prospect by ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
''. The Oakland Raiders selected Joseph in the first round (14th overall) of the
2016 NFL Draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015 NFL Draft, 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park (Chicago), ...
. Joseph was the first safety drafted in 2016.


Oakland Raiders


2016

On May 10, 2016, the Oakland Raiders signed Joseph to a fully guaranteed four-year, $11.88 million contract with a signing bonus of $6.84 million. Joseph competed with veterans T. J. Carrie and Nate Allen throughout training camp for the vacant starting strong safety role after the departure of Larry Asante. Head coach
Jack Del Rio Jack Louis Del Rio Jr. (born April 4, 1963) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a linebacker at the University of South ...
named Joseph the backup strong safety to Nate Allen to begin the season. He made his professional regular season debut in the Oakland Raiders' season-opening 35–34 win at the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
. On September 25, 2016, Joseph made his first career start and recorded a season-high ten combined tackles in the Raiders' 17–10 victory at the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
. On October 9, 2016, he collected six combined tackles, defended a pass, and made his first career interception off of
Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football at NC State and was se ...
during a 34–31 victory over the San Diego Chargers. During a Week 12 contest against the Houston Texans, Joseph recorded a season-high nine solo tackles in the Raiders' 27–20 victory. During a Week 13 matchup against the Buffalo Bills, Joseph collected four combined tackles, but left the game after suffering an apparent toe injury that would cause him to miss the last four games of the season (Weeks 14–17). He finished the season with 60 combined tackles (44 solo), six pass deflections, and intercepted one pass in 12 games and nine starts. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team after a strong rookie season. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 75.5, ranking him 50th among all qualifying safeties in 2016. He also received a coverage grade of 79.6, which ranked 29th. The Oakland Raiders received a playoff berth after finishing second in the
AFC West The American Football Conference – Western Division or AFC West is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division comprises the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las ...
with a 12–4 record. On January 7, 2017, Joseph started in his first career playoff game and recorded four solo tackles as the Raiders lost 14–27 to the Houston Texans in the AFC Wildcard game.


2017

He started the Oakland Raiders' season-opener at the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
and recorded a season-high nine combined tackles and a pass deflection during their 26–16 victory. The following week, Joseph recorded five combined tackles, his first career sack, and forced a fumble by New York Jets' quarterback Josh McCown, that he would recover to set up the Raiders' offense on an eventual touchdown scoring drive. They went on to defeat the Jets 45–20. On September 24, 2017, he collected a season-high eight solo tackles and assisted on a tackle in a 10–27 loss to the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
. On October 19, 2017, Joseph recorded four combined tackles and a pass deflection, but exited the Raiders' 31–30 victory at the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...
in the fourth quarter after sustaining an injury. He was sidelined for the Raiders' Week 8 loss to the Buffalo Bills due to a
groin In human anatomy, the groin (the adjective is ''inguinal'', as in inguinal canal) is the junctional area (also known as the inguinal region) between the abdomen and the thigh on either side of the pubic bone. This is also known as the medial comp ...
injury. In Week 14, Joseph made three solo tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted a pass by
Alex Smith Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football at Utah, where he received first-team All-American honors and won the 2 ...
during a 26–15 loss at the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...
. On December 31, 2017, the Oakland Raiders fired head coach Jack Del Rio and finished third in the
AFC West The American Football Conference – Western Division or AFC West is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division comprises the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las ...
with a 6–10 record. He finished the season with 79 combined tackles (58 solo), four pass deflections, an interception, and a sack in 15 games and 15 starts.
Pro Football Focus Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
gave Joseph an overall grade of 80.8, ranking him 35th among all qualified safeties in 2017.


2018

In Week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals, Joseph made his first interception of the season off quarterback
Josh Rosen Joshua Ballinger Lippincott Rosen (born February 10, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, receiving Freshman All-American and ...
in a 23-21 Raiders win. He finished the season playing in 13 games with eight starts, recording 48 combined tackles, two sacks, two passes defensed, and one interception. In the first eight weeks of the season, Joseph played only eleven snaps. During the trade deadline, it was speculated that the Raiders would be moving on from Joseph. Starting from week 11, Joseph's play improved and he finished the season as the Raiders' highest graded defender according to Pro Football Focus. He received an overall grade of 74.5 from
Pro Football Focus Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
in 2018, which ranked as the 23rd highest grade among all safeties.


2019

On May 2, 2019, the Raiders declined the fifth-year option on Joseph's contract, making him a free agent in 2020. He was named a starting safety to start the 2019 season. In week 10 against the
Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...
on
Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...
, Joseph recorded an interception off
Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football at NC State and was se ...
late in the fourth quarter which sealed a 26-24 win. During the interception, Joseph injured his foot. He started the first nine games before suffering a foot injury in Week 10. He was placed on injured reserve on November 9, 2019. He finished the season with three passes defensed, an interception, and 49 tackles, which was second on the team at the time.


Cleveland Browns

On April 13, 2020, Joseph signed a one-year contract with the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
. He was placed on the active/
physically unable to perform list Physically unable to perform (PUP) is a roster designation used in the National Football League (NFL) for players who suffered injuries during football-related activities prior to the start of training camp. Players on the PUP list may participate ...
at the start of training camp on August 3, 2020, and activated from the list five days later. In Week 3 against the
Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...
, Joseph recorded his first interception as a Brown during the 30–24 win. He was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
list by the team on December 29, 2020, and activated on January 2, 2021. In the Wild Card round of the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Joseph recovered an errant snap by Steelers' center
Maurkice Pouncey LaShawn Maurkice Pouncey (born July 24, 1989) is a former American football center who played 11 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida, where he was a member of a BCS Nat ...
in the endzone for a Browns' touchdown during the 48–37 win. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...
, Joseph intercepted a pass thrown by
Chad Henne Chad Steven Henne (; born July 2, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan. While there, Henne became only the second true freshman st ...
in the endzone for a touchback during the 22–17 loss. Joseph became an unrestricted free agent following the 2020 season.


Las Vegas Raiders

Joseph signed with the
Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West div ...
on April 12, 2021. He was released on August 31, 2021.


Pittsburgh Steelers

Joseph was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad on September 1, 2021. On October 4th, Joseph was promoted to the active roster. His contract expired when the teams season ended on January 16, 2022. Joseph re-signed with the Steelers on March 31, 2022. On August 16, 2022, Joseph was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury.


NFL career statistics


Personal life

Joseph is of Haitian descent.


References


External links


Las Vegas Raiders profile

West Virginia Mountaineers bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Karl 1993 births Living people Players of American football from Orlando, Florida American sportspeople of Haitian descent American football safeties Edgewater High School alumni West Virginia Mountaineers football players Oakland Raiders players Cleveland Browns players Las Vegas Raiders players Pittsburgh Steelers players