After witnessing Karl Joseph suffer a foot injury on a game-sealing interception on Thursday, the Oakland Raiders are signing veteran free agent safety D.J. Swearinger, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic. He worked out with the team on Tuesday. The terms of the deal are not yet known.
Swearinger, a Pro-Bowl alternate in 2018, was released by the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 30. Though he played 100% of the team's defensive snaps in the desert, the safety was a liability in coverage as a Redbird. In his four games with the Cardinals, Swearinger allowed 11 completions (14 targets) for 114 yards and two touchdowns in coverage, suitable for a 140.2 passer rating, per Pro Football Reference.
In 2018, with the Washington Redskins, Swearinger recorded 53 combined tackles, 10 pass deflections and four interceptions in 15 games as the starting free safety. He allowed a lowly 64.9 passer rating in coverage, as quarterbacks went 29 of 47 for 369 yards and two touchdowns to four picks against him. Washington released him in late in the season after he publicly called out their play-calling.
Swearinger has struggled to stay with one team for more than two seasons in the NFL. He lasted two seasons with the Houston Texans — who selected him in the second round in 2013 — before they released him in 2014. He then signed on with Tampa Bay, found a temporary home in Arizona, played two seasons in the nation's capital, went back to the desert and is now in California.
If Joseph's injury is serious, Swearinger could find himself as the starter for the rest of the season alongside Erik Harris.
