Karl Joseph played just seven defensive snaps on Monday night against the Rams and it might be time for the Raider coaching staff to let Joseph out of the dog house long enough to see what he can do.
Not only would it be nice to see their 2016 first-round pick get an opportunity in Paul Guenther’s defense, it might be wise of Guenther to feature a little less Reggie Nelson. It was clear against the Rams that Nelson didn’t discover the fountain of youth over the summer months and the veteran safety has just over a week to find it before his 35th birthday.
Not long ago, Jon Gruden said he is a fan of Pro Football Focus analytics. If he and Guenther take a look at Nelson’s performance grade on Monday night, they aren’t going to be impressed.
According to PFF, Nelson played all 63 snaps against the Rams, and recorded a 48.3 overall grade, which ranked 72nd of 80 qualifying safeties. Nelson’s 29.3 run defense grade was the lowest for any safety in the NFL for week one.
Reggie Nelson bites on the fake handoff and loses Cooper Kupp, who scores eventual game-winning touchdown as the third quarter ends. pic.twitter.com/kIxOf8b8Sh
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 11, 2018
Not only did he whiff on the score above, Nelson wasn’t able to recover on a couple deep routes, but was bailed out by overthrown balls from Jared Goff. Maybe Joseph would have been no better, but all things considered, could he have really been much worse?
twitter: @raidersbeat
100% correct. I think Gruden does not like KuJo because he is a hobbit. But he is still much faster and more athletic than Nelson.
Or just play Erik Harris. Reggie was good his 1st year now it’s becoming sad. I definitely appreciate his leadership and knowledge. But he just doesn’t have it physically anymore. Also play Fadol Brown. That dude is a monster he can be deadly for us. I love Hall and Hurst. Losing jelly hurts. Stop playing Martin. We have to play the best players period. Also the offense has to either score or have sustained drives to help the defense. Carr I love you. Trust yourself let it fly. Go Raiders! I love this team.
It’s not going to happen. Gruden is cutting everyone including Carr. He wants to start fresh with his own picks. He wants no ties from the prior regime