Oakland Raiders must sign a safety in light of Karl Joseph/Lamarcus Joyner injuries
By Justin Fried
The Oakland Raiders must look into signing a safety following unfortunate injuries to Karl Joseph and Lamarcus Joyner in the team’s Thursday night victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Oakland Raiders are fresh off a thrilling 26-24 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in a must-win divisional matchup on Thursday night. But while spirits are high following another huge victory, Friday morning injury news has soured the mood a bit.
After the game, head coach Jon Gruden told reporters that he was “worried” about injuries sustained by defensive backs Karl Joseph and Lamarcus Joyner. Joseph was injured securing the game-winning interception while Joyner’s injury occurred just a few plays earlier.
Entering the 2019 season, Joseph was out to prove his worth after the Raiders declined to pick up his fifth-year option in the offseason. That was coupled with the selection of safety Johnathan Abram in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
It seemed as though the writing was on the wall for Joseph’s departure from the team but a Week 1 injury to Abram thrust him into the rookie’s starting spot.
Must Read. Oakland Raiders rookies building a new core ahead of Las Vegas move. light
And since then, the former West Virginia product has made the most of his snaps making game-clinching plays in each of the Raiders last two games — a 4th-and-goal pass breakup last week followed by a final-drive interception this week.
Unfortunately, his season could be coming to an end prematurely.
Joseph looked to injure his foot on that final game-sealing interception when Chargers receiver Keenan Allen came down hard on his lower leg. The 26-year-old is set to undergo an MRI on his foot on Friday.
More from Las Vegas Raiders News
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- Raiders: Bryan Edwards out, Henry Ruggs doubtful for Sunday
- Raiders: Damon Arnette re-injures thumb, could be headed to IR
- Raiders fall short in letdown Week 3 loss to the New England Patriots
- Raiders: Game breakdown and prediction for Week 3 at New England Patriots
Meanwhile, Joyner appeared to injury his hamstring in a non-contact injury just three plays earlier and while no follow-up report has come out on his status at the time of writing, it does appear as though his injury is relatively serious.
Those two injuries have left an already thin Raiders secondary even thinner.
The only other healthy safeties remaining on the roster now are Erik Harris — who shined with two (almost three) interceptions in Thursday’s victory — Dallin Leavitt who has exclusively played special teams this season and is yet to take a defensive snap — and veteran Curtis Riley.
Riley saw significant playing time earlier in the year but struggled mightily. Since Week 3, the former New York Giants safety has taken just two defensive snaps, but would likely be the next man up.
More from Golden Gate Sports
- Raiders: Rookie stock report following Week 3 performance
- 49ers sign new long snapper amidst a flurry of roster moves
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- 49ers: George Kittle and Deebo Samuel cleared to return to practice
- 49ers expected to place DE Dee Ford on injured reserve
Joyner had been playing a lot of slot corner but could have moved to safety full-time alongside Harris in light of Joseph’s injury. Now, that doesn’t seem likely.
As such, the Raiders will likely have to turn to the free-agent market to add some extra depth and given the state of the roster, it will preferably be someone with prior starting experience.
There are a few notable names available but the most likely addition seems to be veteran D.J. Swearinger. Swearinger started all four games for the Arizona Cardinals this season before he was released back at the end of September.
And the former second-round pick reportedly worked out for the Raiders earlier in the week before these injuries even occurred. Swearinger had some excellent seasons with the Washington Redskins and has plenty of starting experience making him an ideal signing.
That said, other intriguing safeties in the free-agent pool include former All-Pro Eric Berry, Ron Parker, DeShawn Shead, and even former Raider Reggie Nelson.
Still, it seems likely that Swearinger would be the moves given that the team worked him out less than a week ago.
Next. Oakland Raiders: Rookie report card at the midway point of the season. dark
The Raiders need help in the secondary with Joseph and Joyner both expected to miss a significant chunk of time and Swearinger could be just the player to help alleviate their concerns.