New England Patriots: 5 NFL veterans team should target via trade
Karl Joseph, S, Oakland Raiders
Okay, bear with me.
The New England Patriots are getting older at the safety position with both Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung on the other side of 30.
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With McCourty contemplating retirement following the team’s Super bowl win of the Los Angeles Rams, the team needs to get younger at the position. With the Oakland Raiders drafting Johnathan Abram in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, their 2016 first-round pick Karl Joseph could be expendable via trade or simply a release, although the latter would not make much sense for the Raiders.
Looking at the money, trading Joseph who is entering the final year of his rookie deal would save the Raiders $2 million in cap space. For the Patriots, obtaining Joseph via a trade or signing him after a release would give them a player similar to that of Danny Shelton who is a former first-round pick still trying to find his niche in the league.
Playing behind both Chung and McCourty could benefit Joseph who has struggled with both injuries and consistency in coverage when on the field. A hard hitter who is strong against the run, Karl Joseph has the making of a Patrick Chung clone in the New England Patriots system.
Unless Bill Belichick has plans of converting second-round pick JoeJuan Williams to safety, the Patriots current depth chart at safety include Devin McCourty, Chung, Duron Harmon, Obi Melifonwu, Malik Grant and A.J. Howard.