There is no joy in saying Johnathan Joseph is getting old.
The two-time Pro Bowler is a stalwart of this Houston Texans defense and essentially another coach on the field for this young unit, but while the 35-year-old former Cincinnati Bengal is continuing to deliver on the field despite father time, his age seems to be catching up with him.
Since the arrivals of former first-round cornerbacks Gareon Conley and Vernon Hargreaves earlier this season, Joseph’s playing time has been declining especially of late. Throw into the mix rookie Lonnie Johnson and former Denver Bronco Bradley Roby, and suddenly the future for Joseph as a starter in this Texans defense looks less likely.
A consummate professional and consistency embodied, Joseph still has 13 defended passes and an interception on the year despite his age. And while he logged both an interception and a defended pass during their recent 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, these came during just six defensive snaps in total for the night, a decline which has been rapid the prevailing trend the latter half of this season.
Having started just 10 games so far this season and with a Pro Football Focus grade of 64.7, both categories reflect new lows for the Texans captain since just his third NFL season way back in 2008.