One of the most fascinating storylines of the 2018 season for the Raiders was the play and development of their safeties. To start the season, it was veterans Reggie Nelson and Marcus Gilchrist who led the team in snaps at safety. In fact, 2016 first-round pick Karl Josep played a total of 11 defensive snaps in the first seven weeks of the season. 11!
After the team’s bye week, there was a significant change in philosophy by the Raiders regarding their safeties. Joseph became a full-time starter and veteran Eric Harris saw more snaps, especially over the final four weeks of the season.
As a result, the Raiders’ secondary played better as both Joseph and Harris finished the season as two of the top safeties in the AFC West, according to Pro Football Focus.
Of course, no one was comparable to Chargers’ rookie phenom Derwin James, who the Raiders past one twice in the first round. But that doesn’t take away from the play of Joseph and Harris. Both took major steps forward in 2018 and project as the team’s starters entering 2019. Together, allowed just 27 total receiving yards over the final month of the season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Collectively, the ceiling of Joseph and Harris may not be quite as high as Raiders’ fans had anticipated, but both are clearly ascending players. Expect these two to continue to improve from where they finished the 2018 season.
