The Las Vegas Raiders, under Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden, are expected to be highly aggressive in free agency once again this offseason. However, before they get a chance to sign a few veterans at key positions, the front office will need to look at which of their own free agents they would like to retain.
The Raiders have already signed three players this offseason, cornerback Nevin Lawson, running back Jalen Richard and offensive linemen David Sharpe. But former first-round pick Karl Joseph has yet to be retained.
During the first three years of his career, Joseph struggled to find any kind of rhythm on defense. He struggled mightily in coverage and missed far too many tackles when playing closer to the line of scrimmage. But over the last two seasons, Joseph has turned his career around and is now viewed as one of the better in-the-box safeties in the NFL.
In a recent piece by Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus, Joseph was named the best “low-cost” option at safety in free agency. Take a look at the site’s thoughts on the former West Virginia safety:
When looking at his grades by position, Joseph has received an overall grade of 82.2 when lined up in the box. That strong safety, in-the-box role is where it looks like Joseph plays best, and at just 26 years old and with the talent that he has, it makes sense for a team that is looking for that sort of player to take a flier on Joseph at a depressed price point.
With Johnathan Abram rehabbing from a shoulder injury and Lamarcus Joyner struggling in his first year with the Raiders, the team would be wised to bring back Joseph on a relatively small deal. While playing in the box is undoubtedly his strength, he has shown more versatility over the last few seasons and is one of the leaders on defense.
Look for Joseph to have an active market in March with the Raiders being potentially interested in bringing him back.
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