The Oakland Raiders have a new regime and that usually means that the new management wants their guys. On May 3, the Raiders announced they will not pick up the fifth year option on safety Karl Joseph.
The former 2016 first-round pick from West Virginia is just 25 years old. When the 2019 season ends and the Raiders still wish to part ways with Joseph, Texans general manager Brian Gaine should look into signing the veteran safety. Joseph would be entering his prime and be a nice complement with Justin Reid. If Gaine doesn’t want to wait until the end of the season, he could trade for Joseph at the trade deadline much the same way he did with Demaryius Thomas last season.
With only 40 games under Joseph’s belt, there is still so much potential that the former Mountaineer could bring to the Texans that defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel could draw out of him. Not having played a full 16-game season Gaine and the Texans could offer a very cap friendly deal.
Joseph has 186 combined tackles, 135 solo tackles, and three quarterback hits in his three-year career as a Raider. That shows there is potential there in Joseph, it just needs to be tapped into. Pairing Joseph up with Reid would make the Texans safety position a young duo with the average age of 23.5 years old. But with that lower age number comes experience, that is what makes this deal worth considering.
Reid plus Joseph secures the Texans backfield for years to come and gives the Texans unlimited potential of talent to tap into. The only question is will Gaine make a trade for Joseph or will he wait patienlty in the offseason to sign the young safety?
