Safety Kerby Joseph Has 'Innate Ability to Get His Hands on the Ball'
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Last season, the Detroit Lions' secondary battled all season to find some sort of identity.
After a tumultuous season, safety Tracy Walker has emerged as a foundational piece of the secondary, while veteran DeShon Elliott was brought in from the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year contract to provide additional depth.
Add to the mix second-year defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu and rookie Kerby Joseph, along with Brady Breeze and others vying for a roster spot, and the competition level in the safeties room has drastically increased.
Safeties coach Brian Duker explained at organized team activities how Joseph has been performing ahead of what he had envisioned this spring.
"Kerby's actually ahead of where I thought he would be, to be honest with you," Duker said. "Really pleasantly surprised with him. With him, the biggest thing is just learning the verbiage. It's so much bigger of a playbook than he's really used to. And, so now, understanding all the different calls that are involved and kind of getting your toolbox together. Something we talk about a whole bunch. Like depending upon what coverage it is, you've got various tools that you can use. Depending upon the formation, kind of get us in the best matchups available. And so, he's kind of learned the different toolbox, and he's still kind of learning when to apply those."
One aspect of Joseph's game that jumped out on his game film back at Illinois was his ability to be around the football and his ability to get his hands on the football.
"The guy has an innate ability to get his hands on the ball," Duker explained. "It shows up every day in practice. He gets his hands on the ball. That is as good of a trait as you could ask for out of a safety to start with. And then, we'll kind of teach him the rest from there, but he's going to get his head on the ball everyday. So, that's been awesome."
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Why Melifonwu has played safety this spring
Despite battling nagging injuries to start his career, Ifeatu Melifonwu has the potential to also emerge, while developing under the watchful eye of the team's safeties coach and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
His ability to cover opposing wideouts using his size and strength has been appealing to the coaching staff.
This spring, he has even played at safety, showing he can excel at what the coaching staff has asked of him.
"It's a good idea, because of Iffy's really unique skill set and the ability -- he can cover a whole bunch of different positions really well," Duker said. "There are certain times, depending upon the offense that we're playing, that we might need to play him at a different position. So, let's say it's a really good tight end. All of a sudden, the safeties match up on the tight ends more often, right? So, it's easier for him if he knows the safety communication. It's kind of a seamless transition."
Melifonwu appeared in just seven games during his rookie campaign in 2021.
He landed on injured reserve in Week 2, after suffering a quad injury against the Green Bay Packers. He returned in Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Playing multiple positions can be a benefit for a young player, especially if a player ahead of him on the depth chart goes down with an unexpected injury.
"AG (Aaron Glenn) and the coaches just asked me to try it," Melifonwu said recently following the conclusion of an OTA practice. "I'm a football player, so they kind of want to put me at different spots and see what works and get versatility knowing the other positions, just in case anything happens."
