Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images Karl Joseph of the Pittsburgh Steelers tackles Austin Ekeler of the Los Angeles Chargers on November 21, 2021.
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced a pair of signings on Thursday March 31, one of which had already been reported. The “new” news is that the Steelers have re-upped with safety Karl Joseph, who first joined the team in early September 2021, when he signed to the practice squad five months after his initial visit to Pittsburgh.
Joseph, 28, is a former first-round pick of the Raiders (2016), who selected him No. 14 overall out of West Virginia. He appeared in two games for the Steelers last season, during which time he recorded two tackles and had one pass defensed, as per Pro Football Reference.
In each of his five prior NFL seasons Joseph started at least eight games, including the eight starts (14 appearances) he made for the Cleveland Browns in 2020, when he recorded 67 tackles (46 solo), including two tackles for loss, four passes defensed, one interception and two fumble recoveries.
That followed four seasons in Oakland, where he played both free and strong safety and authored his best season in 2017, when he started 15 games and had a career-high 79 tackles.
All told, Joseph has appeared in 65 games (49 starts), and has been credited with 305 total tackles, five interceptions, 20 passes defensed and three sacks.
How Karl Joseph Fits in 2022
Joseph figures to serve as depth — or perhaps as an insurance policy at strong safety — as the Steelers currently have a big hole in the lineup at that position, now that four-year starter Terrell Edmunds is testing the waters of free agency. Last May the Steelers declined to pick up Edmunds’ fifth-year option, effectively making last year a “contract year” for him.
For better or worse, Edmunds had a 2021 season that was comparable to prior campaigns, which have led to him being characterized as an average starting safety. But if nothing else, Edmunds has been durable. In fact, he has only missed one game in his NFL career and has started 60 of the 64 games in which he has appeared, according to Pro Football Reference. On multiple occasions, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has said that Edmunds’ “best ability is availability.”
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Steelers Announce the Signing of LB Genard Avery
Meanwhile, on Thursday March 31 the Steelers also announced the signing of former Eagles and Browns linebacker Genard Avery, a deal first reported by Adam Caplan, NFL insider for Sirius XM radio.
Avery is expected to compete for a backup job at outside linebacker behind 2021 Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt and former third-round pick Alex Highsmith. He started 12 games for the Eagles last season, more than twice as many starts as he made in his three prior seasons combined. Yet Pro Football Focus gave him just a 47.4 overall grade in 2021, dragged down by a 45.7 coverage grade but boosted by a 57.9 pass rush grade.
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