After spending nine years with the rival Houston Texans, cornerback Johnathan Joseph is coming to Nashville to join the Tennessee Titans.
Joseph revealed the signing to ESPN’s Dianna Russini on Wednesday night, and it was met with mostly positivity from Titans fans.
After 14 years in the NFL, there isn’t much we don’t know about Joseph, but there is still some important things to point out with the veteran as it pertains to him joining the Titans.
Depth signing
At 36 years old, Joseph isn’t going to be carrying a secondary anymore. However, he can most certainly serve as a solid depth piece for the Titans as a third or fourth cornerback on the depth chart.
Not only does Joseph still bring his vast experience, he also brings veteran leadership to the Titans’ locker room for what is a relatively young group in the secondary.
Familiarity
Joseph walks into a situation with the Titans in which he is familiar with the coaching staff.
New secondary coach, Anthony Midget, was the Texans’ assistant secondary coach from 2014 to 2017, and then the main head secondary coach in 2018 and 2019.
Adding to that, head coach Mike Vrabel was the Texans’ defensive coordinator in 2017, which was Joseph’s seventh year in Houston.
It also doesn’t hurt that Joseph has an intimate familiarity with the Titans’ AFC South rival, the Texans, operate, which is something Midget brings to the table in 2020, also.
Close with Clowney
During their time together in Houston, Joseph and coveted free-agent pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney had a close relationship, which was outlined in a 2017 article by the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, who described the pair as “like brothers.”
“It’s great,” Clowney explained. “Since I walked into the NFL, he’s been there to guide me the whole way. Every question I ask, he’s got an answer for it.
“He’s always been there. He’s always going to continue to be there. I’m glad he’s on my team. Big ups to my boy.”
The Titans have been in on Clowney the entire offseason, so perhaps adding a close friend like Joseph could help bring him to Nashville.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that’s the case, but it sure couldn’t hurt to have Joseph aboard.
