Oakland Raiders: A few players under the biggest microscope this season
By Kevin Saito
Heading into his third season as a pro, the former West Virginia product, and first-round pick (fourteenth overall) has yet to make the sort of impact he was drafted to make. He knows it. Gruden knows it. Everybody knows it.
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To hear him tell it though, he is primed to make a jump this season, playing in a system he feels will help him unlock his potential and allow him to make plays for this defense.
In his two seasons with the Raiders – 27 appearances, with 24 starts – Joseph has racked up 138 tackles (101 solo), with a sack, 10 passes defensed, and two interceptions. He’s flashed moments that make you realize why he was taken in the first-round, but by and large, he’s been – average.
Gruden is looking to make the back end of Oakland’s defense strong and has stuffed the roster with players to foster some competition – which hopefully draws the best out of Joseph.
He’ll be competing for snaps with the newly acquired Marcus Gilchrist, the re-signed fan disfavorite Reggie Nelson, second-year men Obi Melifonwu and Shalom Luani, rookie free agent Dallin Leavitt, and third-year man Erik Harris who has really caught Gruden’s eye through the early portion of the offseason program.
Although DC Paul Guenther has said that nobody will be playing 90 percent of the snaps and the defense is going to be constantly rotating, the fact is, there are still only so many snaps to go around. Which makes it imperative that Joseph show up and show out when training camp gets started.
Joseph’s position on the depth chart – let alone on the final 53-man roster – is anything but guaranteed at this point, and Gruden will be watching him closely.