Greg Joseph

Greg Joseph (born 4 August 1994) is a South African professional American football placekicker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida Atlantic. He made his NFL debut in 2018 with the Cleveland Browns. He has also been a member of the Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Greg Joseph
refer to caption
Joseph in 2019
No. 1 – Minnesota Vikings
Position:Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1994-08-04) 4 August 1994
Johannesburg, South Africa
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:206 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:Donna Klein Jewish Academy (Palm Beach County, Florida)
American Heritage School (Delray Beach, Florida)
College:Florida Atlantic (2013–2017)
Undrafted:2018
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2022
Field goals made:76
Field goal attempts:91
Field goal %:83.5
Longest field goal:61
Touchbacks:183
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Joseph was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to Glen and Ilana Joseph.[1] He moved to West Boca Raton, Florida with his family in 2001 when he was seven years old, as his family sought to leave South Africa, and his mother had family in Florida. He has two younger brothers, Marc and Dylan. [2][3][1][4] He is Jewish, and says Judaism has "absolutely" guided him during his life.[5][4]

He played football and soccer at Donna Klein Jewish Academy in Boca Raton, Florida, and also attended and played soccer (and was named all-county and all-state) and high school football (in which he was named all-county, all-state, and All-America by MaxPrep.com) at American Heritage School in Delray Beach, Florida.[6][7][4][8] He decided to focus on football after recognizing that he stood a much better chance of getting a college scholarship and going pro in football than in soccer.[9]

College career

Joseph spent five years at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton after walking onto the football team and redshirting his freshman year, and graduated in 2017 with a degree in exercise science and health promotion.[10][1][11][4] He graduated as the Owls’ all-time leader in field goals made (57), points scored (336), PATs (point-after-touchdown) made (165; in 170 attempts), and field goals attempted.[12][1][13][4] He also set the university's single-game records for PATs, field goals, points scored by kicking, and the Owls’ longest field goal (54 yards).[4][14]

As of February 2019, he was working towards finishing his MBA at FAU.[10]

Collegiate statistics
Greg Joseph
Year School Conf Class Pos G XPM XPA XP% FGM FGA FG% Pts
2014 Florida Atlantic CUSA SO K 11 34 35 97.1 14 20 70.0 76
2015 Florida Atlantic CUSA JR K 12 28 28 100.0 18 27 66.7 82
2016 Florida Atlantic CUSA JR K 12 39 39 100.0 10 14 71.4 69
2017 Florida Atlantic CUSA SR K 14 64 68 94.1 15 21 71.4 109
Career Florida Atlantic 165 170 97.1 57 82 69.5 336

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
5 ft 9+7⁄8 in
(1.77 m)		 192 lb
(87 kg)		 4.66 s1.58 s2.68 s4.30 s7.08 s38.0 in
(0.97 m)		10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)		17 reps
All values from Pro Day[15]

Miami Dolphins

After going un-selected in the 2018 NFL Draft, Joseph was signed as a free agent by the Miami Dolphins.[4] He made all three of the kicks he attempted in the preseason.[16] He was released by the Dolphins on 1 September 2018.[17]

Cleveland Browns

Joseph was signed by the Cleveland Browns on 17 September 2018.[4] He replaced Zane Gonzalez, who was cut from the team after missing two field goals and two extra points the previous day.[13] In a Week 5 game at home against the Baltimore Ravens, Joseph made his first career game-winning field goal, a 37-yard attempt. This helped the Browns win, in overtime, by a final score of 12–9.[18]

In his one season with the Browns, he made 17 of his 20 field goal attempts, with a long of 51 (his misses were beyond 40 yards), and made 25-of-29 extra points.[19] He was 4-of-4 from 20-to-29 yards, 7-of-7 from 30-to-39 yards, 5-of-7 from 40-to-49 yards and 1-of-2 from 50-plus yards.[20] In 2018, he handled 69 total kickoffs and achieved a touchback on 68.1% of them.[20]

On 31 August 2019, Joseph was released during final roster cuts after losing the kicker job to rookie Austin Seibert.[21]

Joseph was drafted in the fifth round of the fifth phase of the 2020 XFL Draft by the Seattle Dragons in October 2019.[22][23]

Carolina Panthers

On 25 November 2019, Joseph was signed to the Carolina Panthers practice squad.[24]

Tennessee Titans
Joseph with the Titans before a 2020 playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium

On 18 December 2019, the Tennessee Titans signed Joseph to a three-year contract off Carolina's practice squad, after waiving kicker Ryan Santoso and placing kicker Ryan Succop on injured reserve.[25][26] He made his debut with the Titans on 22 December, kicking four extra points in a 38–28 loss to the New Orleans Saints.[27] Joseph went 5-for-5 on extra points in the Week 17 finale against the Houston Texans, winning 35–14.

Joseph did not attempt a field goal until his fifth game with the Titans when he made a 30-yard kick in the first quarter of the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He went 15-for-15 on extra points before his first field goal attempt.[28]

The Titans waived Joseph on 3 September 2020, after signing Stephen Gostkowski to assume their kicking duties.[29]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On 8 September 2020, Joseph signed to the practice squad of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[30] He was elevated to the active roster on December 18 for the team's week 15 game against the Atlanta Falcons, and reverted to the practice squad after the game.[31]

Minnesota Vikings

On 11 February 2021, Joseph signed with the Minnesota Vikings.[32]

Joseph missed a game-winning 37-yard field goal attempt against the Arizona Cardinals on 19 September 2021. Three weeks later, he made a game-winning 54-yard field goal against the Detroit Lions. A week later, he missed another game-winning field goal against the Carolina Panthers, but the Vikings would go on to win the game in overtime. On 21 November 2021, Joseph made his second game-winning field goal of the season, a 29-yarder against the Green Bay Packers.[33]

In Week 4 of the 2022 season, Joseph converted all five field goal attempts, including a 47-yard game-winner in a 28-25 win over the New Orleans Saints, earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[34] During a Week 15 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, Joseph was able to kick a 40-yard field goal in overtime despite an attempt to ice him, helping his team win in the biggest comeback in NFL history.[35] In a Week 16 game against the New York Giants, Joseph hit a 61 yard game winning field goal in a 27-24 victory,[36] also setting a Vikings franchise record for longest made field goal.[37]

On 14 March 2023, Joseph signed a one-year contract extension with the Vikings.[38]

NFL career statistics
Regular season statistics
YearTeamGPOverall FGsPATsKickoffsPoints
BlkLngFGAFGMPctXPAXPMPctBlkKOAvgTBRetAvg
2018CLE 14051201785.0292586.206963.5472022.976
2019TEN 20000—99100.001163.66532.49
2021 MIN 5 0 55 12 10 83.3 12 11 91.7 0 26 63.6 21 5 18.6 41
Career21055322784.4504590.0010663.0743023.8126
Postseason statistics
YearTeamGPOverall FGsPATsKickoffsPoints
BlkLngFGAFGMPctXPAXPMPctBlkKOAvgTBRetAvg
2019TEN 303011100.0099100.001461.45920.712
Playoffs303011100.099100.001461.45920.712

See also

References
  1. "Greg Joseph". Titansonline.com. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  2. Jason Lieser (21 May 2018). "Dolphins K Greg Joseph out to win open competition with Jason Sanders," The Daily Dolphin.
  3. Doerschuk, Steve (18 September 2018). "Kicker Greg Joseph was sunning himself when Browns called - The Repository - Canton, OH". Cantonrep.com. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  4. Carroll, Ed (19 October 2018). "Cleveland Browns kicker Greg Joseph's long journey from Jewish day school to the NFL". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  5. Lightstone, Mordechai (15 January 2020). "Rookie NFL Kicker Scores Goal With New Mezuzah - Greg Joseph already an inspiration in Cleveland". Chabad-Lubavitch News. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  6. "2017 Football Roster; 17 Greg Joseph"
  7. Riechmann, Deb (2 September 2019). "Cleveland Browns cut Jewish placekicker Greg Joseph". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  8. Schad, Joe (19 August 2018). "Greg Joseph of American Heritage and FAU drills 54-yarder for Miami Dolphins". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  9. Emily Burack (24 November 2021) Only Jewish NFL kicker talks game-winning field goals and his love for the community, The Time of Israel. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  10. Elman, Jake (22 February 2019). "Cleveland Browns kicker Greg Joseph recalls being cut by FAU in guest speaking appearance with current students". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  11. "Greg Joseph College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  12. Staley, Antwan (15 May 2018). "FAU alum Greg Joseph will try to win Dolphins kicking job". Dolphinswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  13. Labbe, Dan (17 September 2018). "Browns sign kicker Greg Joseph". Cleveland.com.
  14. "New Cleveland Browns placekicker Joseph looks to solve team's woes". Draftnasty Magazine. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  15. "2009 Draft Scout Greg Joseph, Florida Atlantic NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  16. Lieser, Jason (30 August 2018). "Miami Dolphins rookie Greg Joseph believes he's an NFL kicker". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  17. Beasley, Adam H.; Jackson, Barry; Salguero, Armando (1 September 2018). "Live updates: All the players the Miami Dolphins have cut from their roster". Miami Herald. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  18. Florjancic, Matthew (7 October 2018). "Cleveland Browns beat Baltimore Ravens, 12-9, on Greg Joseph FG in OT". WKYC. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  19. "Cleveland Browns cut Jewish placekicker Greg Joseph". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  20. Michael Moraitis. "Titans to sign K Greg Joseph from Panthers practice squad: Report"
  21. "Browns cut roster to 53 players". ClevelandBrowns.com. 31 August 2019.
  22. "Former Seahawks highlight Seattle Dragons' picks in XFL Draft". KIRO. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  23. Herndon, Mike B. (17 December 2019). "Titans sign kicker Greg Joseph from the Panthers practice squad". Music City Miracles. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  24. "Panthers promote offensive lineman and sign kicker to practice squad". Panthers.com. 25 November 2019.
  25. Michael Moraitis. "Titans signing of K Greg Joseph to multi-year deal confirmed by agent"
  26. Wyatt, Jim (18 December 2019). "Lucky No.7? New Titans Kicker Greg Joseph Ready for Opportunity in Tennessee". Tennessee Titans. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  27. Herndon, Mike B. (23 December 2019). "Winners and Losers from Saints 38, Titans 28". Music City Miracles.
  28. Walker, Teresa (19 January 2020). "Titans not giving their kicker much of a chance to show off his leg these days, and that's OK with him". Chattanooga Times Free Press.
  29. Bacharach, Eric (3 September 2020). "Titans sign kicker Stephen Gostkowski, waive Greg Joseph". The Tennessean.
  30. Smith, Scott (8 September 2020). "Former First-Round QB Josh Rosen Joins Bucs' Practice Squad". Buccaneers.com.
  31. Smith, Scott (18 December 2020). "Bucs Elevate Two from Practice Squad, Sign Punter and Long-Snapper". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  32. Smith, Eric (11 February 2021). "Vikings Sign Kicker Greg Joseph to Roster". Vikings.com.
  33. Andrew Krammer Star Tribune. "Vikings kicker Greg Joseph once again comes through in the clutch". Star Tribune. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  34. Gordon, Grant (5 October 2022). "Seahawks QB Geno Smith, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes among Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  35. "Indianapolis Colts vs. Minnesota Vikings Live Score and Stats - December 17, 2022 Gametracker". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  36. "Vikings vs. Giants score: Live updates, game stats, highlights, analysis for Christmas Eve showdown". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  37. "Vikings Communications". Twitter. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  38. Young, Lindsey (14 March 2023). "Greg Joseph & Vikings Agree to Terms to Bring Back Kicker". Vikings.com.
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