The Vikings have added some competition to their specialists group in kicker Greg Joseph, the team announced Thursday.
The 26-year-old joins veteran kicker Dan Bailey, who has been with the Vikings for three seasons but struggled down the stretch of Minnesota's 2020 campaign.
Originally signed by the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2018, Joseph has spent time with the Dolphins (offseason), Browns, Panthers (practice squad), Titans and most recently the Super Bowl LV-champion Bucs. He spent most of the 2020 campaign on Tampa Bay's practice squad with the exception of the team's Week 15 game against Atlanta when he was elevated to the active roster.
Joseph played 14 games for Cleveland in 2018, during which he made 17-of-20 field goal attempts (85 percent) with his longest being a 51-yarder. He was 25-of-29 on extra points that season.
In 2019, Joseph was signed by the Titans in mid-December and played two games for Tennessee. He did not attempt a field goal but was perfect on nine PATs.
Here are five things to know about the Vikings new kicker:
1. Joseph is from Johannesburg
Joseph was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and moved to Florida with his family at age 7. He revisited his birthplace three years later.
"I remember where I grew up, I remember my school, where my grandma worked, friends' houses, soccer fields I played at," Joseph told ESPN in 2018.
True to his South African roots, Joseph is a fan of soccer and rugby and avid supporter of Manchester United.
2. Owls all-time leader
Joseph spent five years at Florida Atlantic University. He walked onto the Owls football team and redshirted his freshman year before making a name for himself over the next four seasons.
When Joseph graduated in 2017, he was the Owls all-time leader in field goals made (57), points scored (336), PATs made (165-of-170) and field goals attempted (82). Joseph also set Florida Atlantic single-game records for PATs, field goals and the program's longest field goal (54 yards).
3. A familiar face
Joseph overlapped at Cleveland with Vikings punter Britton Colquitt, who played for the Browns from 2016-18.
The specialist group made up of Joseph, Colquitt and long snapper Charley Hughlett took a – memorable? – photo to commemorate the holidays that season.
4. Man of faith
Joseph is devout in his Jewish faith, which plays a role in his commitment to make a difference and give back to the community.
"It's a virtue close to my heart, since my mom kind of instilled that in me from a young age," Joseph told Cleveland Jewish News in 2018.
He played soccer and football at Donna Klein Jewish Academy (Boca Raton, Florida) prior to high school.
5. Standout at American Heritage
After his time at Donna Klein, Joseph went on to attend American Heritage High School (Delray Beach, Florida), where he also played soccer and football. In the latter, he played just one season but was named all-county, all-state and All-American by Max Preps.
Other notable American Heritage alumni include new Twins pitcher Shaun Anderson and Patriots running back Sony Michel.
