Lamarcus Joyner was the Raiders premier defensive free agent signing of a year ago, but 2019 ended mostly in disappointment for Joyner on the field. He was one of the Raiders lowest-graded starters (only Nicholas Morrow graded lower) by Pro Football Focus and there has been some speculation as to whether he will be back in 2020.
But according to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, Joyner will definitely be making the trip to Las Vegas with the Raiders next year… and as of now projects to be the fourth highest-paid player on the roster behind Derek Carr, Trent Brown, and Rodney Hudson.
“The Raiders need to find the right spot for him, and there was no evidence last season that he should be at nickel corner rather than safety,” Tafur wrote this week in The Athletic. “[Joyner] has a salary cap hit of $12.95 million [in 2020] and will definitely be back.”
Joyner played nickel cornerback for most of his first year with the Raiders and struggled badly, but defensive coordinator Paul Guenther hinted at the end of the season that Joyner will be moving back to his natural position next year.
Prior to the season, Joyner was named a team captain and remains one of the most respected personalities on the team. If all goes as planned, his play will improve alongside Johnathan Abram at safety… and will probably be the biggest reason the Raiders may end up not bringing back Karl Joseph.
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I think keeping Joyner and playing him at safety is the right move. I’d like to see Joseph stay as well, as he was having a pretty good year before being injured and came on strong at the end of 2018. He also adds quality depth at the position. And the jury is still out on if Abram can stay healthy for a full season. I was surprised when the Raiders didn’t pick up his 5th year option.
I think a group consisting of Joyner, Joseph, Harris, and Abram would be good. Joseph wants to return.