DT William Joseph has switched from 96 to 94 for the Oakland Raiders.





(raidersblogs.com)

Free agent defensive tackle William Joseph apparently isn't a free agent anymore. He, too, showed up for work Monday after signing with the Oakland Raiders in an undiclosed deal recently.





(sliver&black.com)

Below proCanes.com analyzes the NFL U free agent market and tries to give you, the fans, a better idea of where these free agents may end up for the 2009 season. First off, here are the different types of free agents defined in case you don't now the difference:

Unrestricted Free Agents
Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA) are players who have completed four or more accrued seasons of service and whose contracts have expired. They are free to sign with any club.

Restricted Free Agents
Restricted Free Agents (RFA) are players who have completed three accrued seasons of service and whose contracts have expired. They have received qualifying offers from their old clubs and are free to negotiate with any club until April 21, at which time their rights revert to their original club. If a player accepts an offer from a new club, the old club will have the right to match the offer and retain the player. If the old club elects not to match the offer, it may receive draft-choice compensation depending on the level of the qualifying offer made to the player.

Exclusive-Rights Free Agents
Exclusive-Rights Free Agents (ERFAs) are players who have completed between 0-2 accrued seasons of service whose contracts have expired. If tendered, they have no negotiating rights with other clubs and must sign their tender with their old club or sit out the season.

2009 UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

Phillip Buchanon CB 5-11 186 7th Season Buccaneers:
According to members of the Buccaneers organization, many from within believe Phillip Buchanon was their most consistent cornerback last year. At the beginning of the offseason many people thought the Bucs would let Buchanon go because of the coaching changes and and change in defensive philosophy. That looks to not be the case though. The Bucs will be talking to Buchanon's agent Drew Rosenhaus this week and hope to sign before he hits the open market. After a rough beginning to his career, Buchanon seems to have settled and become a vital part of the Tampa Bay defense. Look for him to remain a Buccaneer.

Vernon Carey OT 6-5 350 5th Season Dolphins:
Vernon Carey actually never hit the free agency market despite not being franchised by the Miami Dolphins. Once the Dolphins elected not to franchise him most people began to speculate that they no longer wanted Carey and both the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings would go after him. One day later though, the Dolphins did sign Carey to a 6-year $42 million contract making him the highest paid right tackle in the league. Congrats to Vernon!

Bubba Franks TE 6-6 265 9th Season NY Jets:
Bubba Franks had a disappointing 2008 season despite being teamed up with Brett Favre again. Bubba's best seasons as a Green Bay Packer were with Favre, but they never seemed to to find that magic last year as Jets. Bubba fought through injuries during the season but missed 8 games. He finished the season with only six reception for 47 yards and no TDs. The Jets did released TE Chris Baker, which would create an opening for Bubba, but they do have Dustin Keller who they are pretty high on. If Bubba stays looks for him to be Keller's backup which is a possibility as long as he can show that he can stay healthy.

William Joseph DT 6-5 308 6th Season Raiders:
Joseph was signed last offseason by the Raiders to give them help along the defensive line with the loss of Warren Sapp. Joseph was cut right before the beginning of season, but was then signed in week 8 and played the last 7 weeks of the season accumulating 8 tackles. Since being drafted by the NY Giants in the first round in 2003, Joseph has not lived up to expectations. He will probably get signed by someone in need of DL depth and it very well could be the Oakland Raiders.

Ray Lewis LB 6-1 250 13th Season Ravens:
It is rumored that the Jets are making salary cap room to possibly sign Ray Lewis. The Cowboys have been rumored to be a destination Ray would potentially prefer as well. Ray has said before that he would like to end his career as a Raven and the Ravens would really like to sign him before the free agency period begins on February 27, despite being irked by his comments at the Pro Bowl which most people think were said to get him a bigger contract. This would be the first time Ray would hit the free agent market and the Ravens are afraid that if he does he will be gone. Look for the Ravens to sign him before he hits the market.

Darrell McClover LB 6-1 226 5th Season Bears:
McClover has been important cog in the Bears' special teams for the past few years, but he missed the last 6 games due to injury this year and the Bears do not seem to be interested in resigning him. He has been a career special teams player but also has the ability to play the OLB spot. If the Bears do not re-sign him, which looks unlikely, look for him to get picked up by a team with special teams needs like the Patriots, Chiefs, or Titans.

Jerome McDougle DE 6-2 2646th Season NY Giants:
McDougle has dealt with a lot of adversity during his short career and unfortunately has never lived up to expectations despite always performing well in training camps. More than anything, he is happy to be alive considering his near-death experience of being shot in the abdomen. McDougle didn’t contribute much to the Giants, and now Osi Umenyiora is presumably coming back to join what should be a three-man end rotation with Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka. Dave Tollefson (an exclusive rights free agent) figures to be the fourth. If there’s a fifth, it’ll come out of the draft. Look for McDougle to get one more shot in someone's training camp, he has shows great resiliency throughout his tough career.

Brett Romberg C 6-2 298 5th Season Rams:
Though a little undersized Romberg has been in the thick of the starting center position for the last few years in St. Louis. He started three games in 2006, nine games in 2007 and six games in 2008. Last year he broke his hand in training camp and lost the job to Nick Leckey. Romberg did end up starting the last 6 games of the season though. The Rams seems to like Romberg more than Leckey so look for them to re-sign Romberg.

Jonathan Vilma LB 6-1230 5th Season Saints:
Re-signing MLB Jonathan Vilma is the Saints' top priority. Vilma, who was traded to the Saints a year ago, is said to be very interested in re-upping with New Orleans, but the team will not strike a deal with him until Feb. 27 — the start of free agency — at the earliest, guaranteeing that Vilma will hit the open market. Signing him before then would force the Saints to give up higher draft picks to the Giants and Jets — first- and second-rounders, respectively, instead of second- and third-rounders — per the deals for TE Jeremy Shockey and Vilma. The Saints are optimistic he will be back and so are we. Unless someone throws a lot of money in Vilma's direction look for him to sign with the Saints as soon as he hits the market.

Nate Webster LB 6-0 232 9th Season Broncos:
Webster beat out free-agent Niko Koutouvides for the starting MLB spot last fall which was a huge surprise to many considering the large contract that was given to Koutouvides. The Denver defense last year was bad. Many people blamed Webster but the problems ran much deeper than him. The DL was atrocious and injuries took their toll as well with DJ Williams missing time as well as Webster. Koutouvides was recently cut by the Broncos, which could mean that the Broncos are interested in keeping Webster. If they do, look for him to be more of an insurance policy as he can backup all three LB positions or if Williams is moved back to MLB then Webster could find a spot on the outside.

2009 RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

Rashad Butler OT 6-4 309 3rd Season Texans:
Butler is well-respected in the Texans organization because of his ability to overcome the disease: ulcerative colitis. This was the reason for Butler's inability to keep weight on during his days in Carolina. Since then he has been able to control the disease and played in 8 games in 2007. He didn't see much action in 2008, but look for the Texans to resign him for a league minimum resulting in 3 offensive lineman from the U on the Texans (Chris Myers, Eric Winston, Rashad Butler).

2009 EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS

Orien Harris DL6-3 300 1st Season Bengals:
Harris was a standout in Saints camp in 2008 and was surprisingly released before the season started. The Bengals though, snatched him up quickly and Harris saw action in 14 games and started Week 6 against the Jets. He is an exclusive rights free agent; the team has already signed FB/TE Daniel Coats, who was the other player in that category. Look for the Bengals to re-sign him and in the off chance they don't, the Saints will be in the running for his services.

RELEASED

Ken Dorsey QB 6-4 215 6th Season Browns:
Dorsey struggled towards the end of last year when he was forced into action for four of the last five games of the season throwing zero touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Dorsey has always been limited physically but has been a great tutor for Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. If he lands anywhere it will probably be with Rob Chudzinski and the San Diego Chargers to mentor Phillip Rivers.

Najeh Davenport RB 6-1 247 7th Season Colts:
Najeh played 4 games for the Steelers last year in the middle of the season after being released in the offseason. He was then released by the Steelers and signed by the Colts where he played in two games before being released before the start of the playoffs. Davenports has shown he can still play both as a running back and also as a kickoff return man. In week 17 he had 8 carries for 26 yards along with four receptions for 54 yards. The knock on Davenport has always been his ability to stay healthy and stay in shape. Look for him to get signed by someone in need of RB depth and also special teams player.

The Raiders added a second player who wasn’t good enough to make the 53-man roster out of training camp, with defensive tackle William Joseph returning after being cut on Aug. 30.

Joseph adds some bulk to a Raiders defensive front which was shredded for 252 yards on 57 carries against Atlanta and has surrendered 177 yards per game over the last four games.

The former first-round pick of the New York Giants was with the team as they began practice, wearing No. 96, as were cornerback Michael Waddell (No. 32) and linebacker Marquice Cooper (No. 95).

(ibabuzz.com)

ALAMEDA, Calif.: The Oakland Raiders released defensive tackle William Joseph on Tuesday to create room on the roster for receiver Ashley Lelie.

Lelie officially signed his one-year contract Tuesday, forcing the Raiders to create a roster spot for him. They did it by cutting ties with Joseph, who made little impact after signing as a free agent in the offseason.

Lelie joined the Raiders just days after being cut by the 49ers. He had 10 catches for 115 yards last season for San Francisco while struggling with injuries, including a strained quadriceps.

(iht.com)

The offensive linemen got a boost in a drill pitting them against their defensive line counterparts. Left tackle Kwame Harris buried defensive end Kalimba Edwards and knocked him to the turf. Before that Aaron Boone completely dominated William Joseph in back-to-back tries.

Speaking of Joseph, the former first-round draft pick of the Giants hasn’t done much this camp and has been more noticeable for what he hasn’t done than anything else.

(oak.scout.com)

Without further ado, then, to welcome Mr. Joseph aboard, here are 10 things you need to know about the big guy.

• A former Miami Hurricane, Joseph was a No. 25 pick in the 2003 draft, taken by the New York Giants in the opening round. Drafted just after Dallas Clark, Joseph got the first-round call before current Raider Kwame Harris, Nick Barnett and Nnamdi Asomuga.

• His very first game in that 2003 season may have been Joseph's greatest in his entire career with one sack and one forced fumble recovered by his team for a TD.

• Though Joseph remained a member of the Giants through Super Bowl XLII, he was actually only active for one game last season - opening day - and didn't see action. Shortly after Week 1, Joseph was placed on injured reserve. Injuries have been the bane of Joseph's NFL existence these past few seasons, with 25 of 51 possible games missed.

• Thanks to the injuries, Joseph is habitually called a "disappointment" by the media (while playing in New York; imagine that). And check out this writer, who labels Joseph "one of the least popular players in Giants history," before incidentally going on to take a random swipe: "For some strange reason, the Raiders decided Joseph would be an asset to their defense. Oh, well (sic)...guess that's why they're the Raiders." (Now, Raider Nation, don't get too upset: As a Bills fan, this guy clearly has a lot of repressed hostility and frustration.)

• Ironically, the man taking Joseph's starting spot and earning his Super Bowl ring when he went down was ... Raider castoff Dave Tollefson. Click here to continue reading...

He’ll need all the help he can get out in Oakland, where the Giants’ former first-round pick signed yesterday . I haven’t seen the terms of the deal, but I find it hard to believe it’s more than one or two years or much more than the NFL minimum.

Actually, I really do believe this: If there are absolutely no expectations for Willie – and really, why would there be? – he’ll be fine. If he stays healthy, he’ll be a solid depth player who will even make a play every six weeks or so. But if they need him to start or be an important player … well, let’s just say he won’t be the Raiders’ ticket out of the bowels of the NFL.

In the meantime, I’d like to wish my Bay Area colleagues well trying to coax a quote out of Willie Jo. May you have better luck than we did in New York, and may you learn something else about Mr. Mystery than the fact that he’s “good.” (Memo to Bay Area repoters: Try not to snicker when he says that).

There is some poetic symmetry, by the way, with Willie Jo landing with the Raiders, one of the least media-friendly organizations in the league. He should be right at home.

(dailynews.com)

Although the Dolphins have already added two defensive tackles since the start of free agency last week, they met with former Giants defensive tackle William Joseph Friday.

Joseph, a 6-foot-5, 308 pounder, was the 25th draft pick in 2003 after a solid career with the University of Miami. Joseph, 28, missed the Giants' entire Super Bowl championship run last season with a back injury, and was released on Feb. 29.

Joseph has played in 55 games with 17 starts. He has 72 tackles and seven sacks.

The Dolphins acquired veteran defensive tackle Jason Ferguson in a trade with Dallas last week, and on the same day signed free-agent defensive tackle Randy Starks, who at 24 is nine years younger than Ferguson.

No offer was extended to Joseph, who is also talking to the Browns, another team that uses the 3-4 scheme. Joseph began his career at UM as a rush end before moving inside.

(sun-sentinel.com)

Former first round pick (DT) William Joseph, who’s contract was automatically voided by the Giants shortly after the Super Bowl, is being looked at by the Cleveland Browns. Joseph will be in Cleveland today taking a physical.

(giantsbits.com)

3. End of the line is just fine

Michael Strahan left a void -- a 6-foot-5, 255-pound void, to be exact -- when he decided to pass on the first two weeks of camp while contemplating retirement. Fortunately for the Giants, William Joseph, a former defensive tackle who stands the same height as Strahan and weighs another 50 pounds, is large enough to fill it.

But is Joseph fast enough? Giants coaches seem to think so. Joseph, sharing time with Justin Tuck, is playing to rave reviews.

(timesunion.com)

William Joseph, moved to defensive end because of Strahan's absence, said he probably will play both tackle and end if Strahan returns. "I don't mind that," Joseph said.

(timesunion.com)

There was an interesting appearance however at the Giants offseason workouts. One of the less publicized "Miamites," William Joseph, did show up for conditioning. Perhaps realizing he's on his last legs with the team, is reaching out for that one final chance before he gets that big ugly axe.

(aolblog.com)

November 17, 2006 -- This year, William Joseph, the Giants' 2003 first-round pick, has been very quiet - on and off the field.

On the field, after starting a career-high 10 games last season, the defensive tackle had been nearly invisible until starting last Sunday against the Bears. He only did so because nearly every other defensive lineman was draped in bandages.

Off the field, Joseph has been as silent as a Charlie Chaplin film. In fact, when he conducted an interview with The Post yesterday, it was believed to be his first of the year.

William Joseph has been considered by many to be a disappointment as a defensive tackle since being drafted by the Giants in the first round of the 2003 draft.

Well, now he's getting a shot to prove himself at end -- at least temporarily.

Joseph was a surprise starter at left end last night against the Bears in place of injured Pro Bowler Michael Strahan, who is out 2-4 weeks with a sprained foot. The Giants were also without starting right end Osi Umenyiora (hip flexor) and backup Justin Tuck (foot), who were injured against the Cowboys three weeks ago.