Grade for Titans signing DL Sebastian Joseph

The Tennessee Titans made a much-needed addition to their defensive line last week when the team inked Sebastian Joseph to a one-year deal.

After a successful stint with the Los Angeles Rams that saw him thrive when playing next to Aaron Donald, Joseph was awarded with a three-year, $24 million deal from the Los Angeles Chargers that he didn’t exactly live up to.

The former team captain was let go late in the 2023 campaign and finished up his season with the San Francisco 49ers.

Prior to signing Joseph (he has dropped the “Day” from his name), the Titans had Jeffery Simmons and a group of players who were backups, at best.

Joseph brings the starting experience the Titans need, with the former sixth-round pick having started 68 of the 71 career games he’s played in. In those contests, Joseph has tallied 229 tackles (21 for loss), 11 sacks and 31 QB hits.

The 29-year-old also offers versatility, as he’s played all over the line in both 4-3 and 3-4 alignments. Over five seasons, Joseph has lined up as a nose, defensive tackle and defensive end.

Joseph has typically been a better run defender than pass-rusher, but he isn’t exactly great at either. Ideally, he’s a rotational defender who does his work on early downs.

As far as his contract is concerned, the Titans signed Joseph to a one-year deal that is worth up to $4 million and includes $3.57 million guaranteed, which is a fine deal for a player with Joseph’s skillset.

The signing of the Rutgers product certainly isn’t going to knock anyone off their feet, but he’s a solid stopgap option who could return to the form we saw with the Rams now that he’s lining up next to another star player in Simmons.

Grade: C+