The Browns will turn to former first-round draft pick Karl Joseph to become one of their new starting safeties.
Joseph agreed to a one-year contract with the Browns on Wednesday, a person familiar with the deal confirmed.
Joseph spent the past four seasons with the Oakland Raiders, who drafted him 14th overall in 2016 out of West Virginia University. The strong safety has started 41 of the 49 NFL regular-season games in which he's appeared and compiled 219 tackles, including three sacks, 15 passes defensed, four interceptions, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries.
New Browns General Manager had been seeking two starting safeties this offseason. He still needs another one to pair with Joseph.
The Browns are expected to let starting free safety Damarious Randall walk in free agency. They cut starting strong safety Morgan Burnett on Monday. He's coming off a torn Achilles tendon.
Also, safeties Juston Burris and Eric Murray struck deals with other teams Monday. Burris, who started nine games for the Browns in 2019, agreed to a two-year, $8 million deal with the Carolina Panthers, and Murray, who started four games for the Browns last season, agreed to a three-year contract worth up to $20.25 million with the Houston Texans, ESPN reported.
Joseph, 26, had been playing the best ball of his career last season when he suffered a season-ending foot injury Nov. 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers. He landed on inured reserve and had surgery.
Joseph, listed as 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, started the nine games in which he appeared last year and finished the season with 49 tackles, three passes defensed and an interception.
