Looking for depth in their secondary, the Raiders have turned to a familiar face for help. Former Raiders safety Karl Joseph has signed with his former club after a brief visit, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The Raiders' first-round pick in the 2016 draft, Joseph spent his first four seasons with the Raiders before spending the 2020 campaign with the Browns. Joseph recently visited the Steelers, who are still looking to bolster their depth behind starter Terrell Edmunds.
The 5-foot-10, 200-pound Joseph saw time at both free and strong safety during his first go-around with the Raiders. In 49 games with the team, Joseph made 41 starts while recording four interceptions, 15 passes defensed, three sacks, 236 tackles and nine tackles for loss. Joseph was enjoying arguably his best season in 2019 before an injury prematurely ended his year after nine games.
During his one season in Cleveland, Joseph made eight starts in 14 games. He totaled one interception, four passes defensed, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and 67 tackles. Joseph's play helped the Browns capture their first playoff berth and playoff win since 1994.
The Raiders' strong safeties are currently Johnathan Abram, Jeff Heath and Javin White. Last season, the Raiders' defense finished 30th in the NFL in scoring, 26th in passing, 24th in rushing, 30th in pass defense and 16th in red zone efficiency. The Raiders' issues on defense were the main reason Las Vegas stumbled to an 8-8 finish following a 6-3 start.
Three of our four CBS Sports NFL draft experts have the Raiders taking a defensive player with the 17th overall pick. Ryan Wilson has the Raiders taking former Georgia linebacker Azeez Ojulari, Chris Trapasso has Las Vegas selecting former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons, and Pete Prisco has the Raiders taking former South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn.
