Look, no one is sitting around saying Karl Joseph is the answer to the Pittsburgh Steelers' strong safety needs. That being said, this isn't the first time this team has added an underwhelming piece and had some expectation they could start.
Last year, it was James Pierre, Robert Spillane and Zach Banner. Years prior, it's been LJ Fort, Ross Cockrell, the list goes on. Basically, the point is, this isn't anything new for the Steelers.
So, what are the chances it means they view Joseph, to some capacity, as the starter? Or, they believe Tre Norwood has the skills to be the starter, and they want a security blanket incase he's not ready?
Rumors flying around say Terrell Edmunds and the Steelers don't have much traction on a return. That could mean Edmunds has a higher market than Pittsburgh expected, or the Steelers are ready to go a different direction.
Like the NFL Draft.
The Steelers also like to do this thing where they keep a low-end starter-capable player on the roster and then go use a mid-round pick on someone with potential. In this case, they happen to have two player they might feel comfortable with if a rookie needs time to develop.
So, what if that's the plan? Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin have talked it through, believe there's a pretty good safety class until about the fourth round of the NFL Draft, and feel their best route is believing in Norwood, having Joseph as a safety blanket/other option they feel good about, and are willing to take a chance in the draft.
This would not be the craziest thing the Steelers have done. It also wouldn't be the first time they took a chance on someone no one had too much faith in (Norwood), and if it works, not the first time they were right about it, either.
This thought might be more "maybe Tre Norwood starts for the Steelers," but that's a pretty big question mark right now. However, Karl Joseph is just another name on a long list of players the Steelers said "yep, he's good enough" and sent him into training camp with some expectation he could end up the starter.
They're going to do it at quarterback. Maybe they're going to do it at safety, too.
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