OAKLAND,
Womens Tyler Lockett Jersey, Calif. — Karl Joseph was behind.
He has come far enough to appreciate that now.
The Raiders safety and 2016 first-round pick missed the entire spring as a rookie because of a torn
ACL he suffered during his senior year at West Virginia. He participated in training camp but was
not fully confident in his surgically repaired right knee. Even during the season, it affected him.
He wasn’t himself. Not always.
This year is different.
“I feel like a new person,” Joseph said.
The Raiders veterans will report to training camp on Friday. For Joseph, this marks a chance to
further distance himself from an injury that contributed to an uneven debut. The team hopes its
hard-hitting defensive back can build off his rookie experience to make a leap in 2017. In some
ways, he already has.
Joseph was a full participant in the spring. He looked more confident, moving more effortlessly. He
felt himself on a football field for the first time since suffering the non-contact injury during
an October practice in 2015.
I didn’t feel as strong or explosive as I know I could’ve been,“Coming off that injury,” said
Joseph, who made nine starts in 12 games last year with 44 tackles and an interception. “Just
being able to go through this offseason working in the weight room and going through OTAs, I feel
like a new person. I feel a lot stronger and faster. I’m not really timid like I was last year. I
was kind of timid at certain times to plant off that knee. …
it’s just a thing in the back of my mind. I don’t really feel it,
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on football more than the injuries and stuff like that.”
The Raiders knew it’d be a process for Joseph in 2016.
They showed patience in the offseason,
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to recover. Joseph did not see any defensive snaps in either of the first two weeks. The Raiders
were grilled in both, allowing a combined 819 passing yards to Drew Brees and Matt Ryan.
Joseph joined the mix after that.
While he had a veteran to rely upon in safety Reggie Nelson, he lacked the foundation of a full
offseason. Chemistry and communication are required for any functional secondary, and such
ideally,qualities take time to develop. While they surfaced more as the season progressed, that
development will come in a more low-pressure environment.
The 23-year-old finally experienced that in the spring.
” Joseph said. “I feel like night and day, really,“It’s a whole different world, from now to
last year. I came in hurt and I couldn’t really do much. This year, just being able to go through
more than just the football part of it,
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bond with the guys and get a feel for some of the guys I think has been very helpful.”
