Brandon Alan Joseph (born February 5, 2001) is an American professional football safety. He has previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions. He played college football for the Northwestern Wildcats and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Early life
Joseph grew up in College Station, Texas, and attended College Station High School. He was named Class 5A All-State as a senior after recording 95 tackles with 10 passes broken up and five interceptions.[1] Joseph initially committed to play college football at Texas Tech, but ultimately decommitted to sign with Northwestern.[2] He is of Antiguan and Italian descent.[3]
College career
Joseph redshirted his true freshman season at Northwestern University. As a redshirt freshman in 2020, Joseph was named first-team All-Big Ten Conference and the conference Freshman of the Year after he co-led the country with six interceptions.[4] He was rated the nation's best strong safety by Pro Football Focus.[5]
For the 2022 season, Joseph transferred to the University of Notre Dame.[6]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+3⁄8 in (1.84 m) | 202 lb (92 kg) | 30+7⁄8 in (0.78 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 4.62 s | 1.56 s | 2.64 s | 4.22 s | 6.84 s | 34.5 in (0.88 m) | 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) | 17 reps | |
| Sources:[7][8] | ||||||||||||
Joseph was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent on May 12, 2023.[9] He was waived on August 29, and re-signed to the practice squad.[10][11] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 30, 2024.[12]
Joseph made the Lions' roster in 2024, playing as a reserve defender and special teamer in 14 games before being waived on December 21, 2024.[13]
Personal life
On December 21, 2024, Joseph was arrested in Dearborn Heights, Michigan on suspicion of driving under the influence. The arrest came after Joseph was observed driving through the city at high rates of speed. He was not immediately charged, though, as police officials said they were waiting for results of the breathalyzer test.[14]
Career statistics
NFL
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Total | Solo | Ast | Sck | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | TD | ||
| 2023 | DET | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | DET | 14 | 1 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 16 | 1 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
College
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Total | Solo | Ast | Sack | PD | Int | Yds | TD | FF | FR | TD | ||
| 2019 | Northwestern | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Northwestern | 9 | 9 | 52 | 28 | 24 | 0.0 | 2 | 6 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Northwestern | 12 | 12 | 80 | 54 | 26 | 1.0 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 | Notre Dame | 10 | 10 | 30 | 15 | 15 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 35 | 31 | 166 | 101 | 65 | 1.0 | 7 | 10 | 74 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
References
- ↑ Cessna, Robert (December 16, 2018). "College Station DB Joseph pledges to sign with Northwestern". The Bryan-College Station Eagle. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ↑ "College Station safety Brandon Joseph verbally commits to Northwestern". KAGSTV. December 15, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
- ↑ Murphy, Bryan (October 22, 2023). "Why NFL players are wearing flags on their helmets to promote 'International Diversity' during Week 7-8 games". Sporting News Canada. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- ↑ Boeck, Scott (December 19, 2020). "Northwestern's Brandon Joseph makes the defensive play of the year in Big Ten title game". USA Today. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ↑ Dyer, Kristian (December 17, 2020). "PFF grades Northwestern's Brandon Joseph as the nation's best strong safety". Saturday Tradition. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ↑ VanHaaren, Tom (January 8, 2022). "Former Wildcats S Joseph heading to Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ↑ "Brandon Joseph Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ↑ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Brandon Joseph College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- ↑ "Lions sign three 2023 NFL Draft selections". DetroitLions.com. May 12, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ↑ "Lions announce roster moves". DetroitLions.com. August 29, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ↑ "Lions announce roster moves". DetroitLions.com. August 30, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ↑ Schlitt, Erik (January 30, 2024). "Update: Detroit Lions sign 12 players to futures contracts". Pride Of Detroit. SB Nation. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ↑ "Detroit Lions activate Ifeatu Melifonwu, sign 3 players to 53-man roster". Pride of Detroit. December 21, 2024.
- ↑ Woodyard, Eric (December 22, 2024). "Lions waive second-year DB Joseph after arrest". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 13, 2025.