Steelers Re-Sign Safety Karl Joseph

The Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to re-sign strong safety Karl Joseph to a one-year contract for the 2022 season, the team announced on Thursday.

Joseph, 28, 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.

He joins Miles Killebrew as the two strong safeties on the Steelers’ 2022 roster at the moment, while incumbent starter Terrell Edmunds remains a free agent. General manager Kevin Colbert said at the 2022 NFL meetings that the hoped to address the position through free agency, though it’s not clear if he meant in a move like singing Joseph or something more substantive.

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).

The 28-year-old 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.

He re-signed with the Raiders in 2021, but was released after training camp and joined the Steelers.

While 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.

The Steelers also made official the signing of free agent linebacker Genard Avery, which had been reported earlier in the week.