Michael Joseph (born March 19, 1995) is an American football cornerback for the DC Defenders of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Dubuque and has also played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2018.
| No. 15 – DC Defenders | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | March 19, 1995 Oswego, Illinois, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 194 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Oswego (Oswego, Illinois) |
| College: | Dubuque (2014–2018) |
| Undrafted: | 2018 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NFL statistics | |
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |
Early life and high school career edit
Joseph grew up in Oswego, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Joseph barely played at Oswego High School in his hometown, never making a start and barely recording any stats in four years.[1]
College career edit
Some small schools were interested, and Joseph committed to play college football at Dubuque, a Division III school located about five miles away from the Iowa-Illinois border and only has about 2,200 students.[2] Joseph had family ties to the Spartans as his cousin Bridget Hosley ran track there. He was only about 5'11' and 150 pounds as a freshman, so the Spartans put Joseph on the program's developmental squad before being called up to the roster later in the year. Starting as a sophomore in 2015, Joseph would make three straight All-Iowa Conference teams. In 2017, Joseph won the Cliff Harris Award as the best small-college defender. He was the only D-III player at the 2018 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.[3]
Professional career edit
Chicago Bears edit
Joseph went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft and signed with his hometown Chicago Bears on May 11, 2018.[4] He was released during final roster cuts be re-signed to the practice squad on September 3, 2018.[5]
Joseph was released again on September 1, 2019, but re-signed to the practice squad.[6]
On August 3, 2020, Joseph was placed on injured reserve.[7] He was activated on November 9, 2020.
On April 9, 2021, Joseph was re-signed by the Bears.[8] He was released on August 26, 2021.[9] On December 20, 2021, he appeared in his first NFL game against the Minnesota Vikings, playing three snaps on defense and six on special teams.[10] Joseph was reverted to the practice squad after that game.
On August 16, 2022, Joseph was waived by the Bears and reverted to injured reserve.[11] He was released on October 1, 2022.[12]
DC Defenders edit
On January 13, 2023, Joseph signed with the DC Defenders of the XFL.[13] He started all nine games for the Defenders in 2023, grabbing four interceptions to go along with forty total tackles. Joseph was named to the 2023 All-XFL Team along with DC teammates Jordan Ta'amu, Abram Smith, Liam Fornadel, Davin Bellamy, Lucky Jackson and Daniel Whelan.[14]
References edit
- ^ Southard, Dargan. "From Division III to the NFL Draft: How a high school bench warmer developed into a pro talent at Dubuque". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "Michael Joseph". www.dbq.edu. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "2018 Reese's Senior Bowl rosters". NFL.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Bouda, Nate (May 11, 2018). "Bears Officially Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Bouda, Nate (September 3, 2018). "Bears Sign 10 Players To Practice Squad Including QB Tyler Bray". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Bouda, Nate (September 1, 2019). "Bears Officially Sign 10 Players To Practice Squad". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "Roster Moves: Bears sign Maxwell, put Joseph on IR". www.chicagobears.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Bouda, Nate (September 3, 2018). "Bears Sign 10 Players To Practice Squad Including QB Tyler Bray". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Bouda, Nate (August 26, 2021). "NFL Transactions: Thursday 8/26". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Bouda, Nate (December 20, 2021). "NFL Transactions: Monday 12/20". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Ulrich, Logan (August 16, 2022). "Bears Announce Eight Roster Moves". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Bouda, Nate (October 1, 2022). "Bears Waive DB Michael Joseph From Injured Reserve". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ Mitchell, Mike (January 26, 2023). "D.C. Defenders Sign NFL Vets, WR Chad Hansen, And CB Michael Joseph". xflnewshub.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "2023 All-XFL Team Revealed". www.xfl.com. Retrieved November 30, 2023.