Steelers All 90: Can Full Offseason Help SS Karl Joseph Earn Job?
All 90 is a Pittsburgh Steelers Now series profiling each of the 90 members of the Steelers 2022 offseason roster.
38 • Karl Joseph, sixth-year safety, West Virginia
5-foot-10, 200 pounds, 28 years old
Acquired: Karl Joseph was signed by the Steelers as a street free agent on Sept. 1, 2021.
Last season: Joseph spent the entire 2021 season on the Steelers’ practice squad after joining the team on Sept. 1. He was promoted to the active roster two times, on Oct. 10 against Denver and on Nov. 21 at the Los Angeles Chargers. He had two tackles and one pass defended in those two games. Joseph also played on special teams.
Career: A 2016 first-round pick, Joseph spent the first four seasons of his career in Oakland, compiling four interceptions and 236 total tackles in 49 games (41 starts).
In 2020, he signed a one-year $2.5 million deal with the Cleveland Browns in April 2020, playing in 14 games with eight starts for Cleveland. Joseph scored the first points of the Browns-Steelers Wild Card Game on Jan. 10, recovering Maurkice Pouncey’s bad snap in the end zone less than 15 seconds into action.
College: At West Virginia, Joseph was a two-time captain his junior and senior seasons, recording nine interceptions, two sacks, six fumble recoveries, and a school-record eight career forced fumbles in 42 games.
Camp outlook: Things are crowded at safety for the Steelers this training camp. Minkah Fitzpatrick is entrenched. Terrell Edmunds is back. The team added Damontae Kazee. Tre Norwood has another year of experience. It’s hard to see where Joseph fits into the mix, but he’s clearly talented enough to deserve an NFL job.
If the Steelers are looking at playing more two-high safety and more packages with three safeties on the field in 2022, the glut of talent makes more sense.
Future: Joseph signed a one-year contract with the Steelers for the 2022 season that will pay him $1.035 million.
The rest of the 90:
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