In an exciting 2024 season, Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph truly made a name for himself. The former Illinois standout had a breakout year in his third NFL campaign, more than doubling his career interception total, leading the league with nine picks. This remarkable performance earned him a First-Team All-Pro nod from the Associated Press, though his Pro Bowl selection was not as certain. Despite winning the fan vote, which accounts for a third of the selection process, Joseph fell short in votes from coaches and players, ultimately being named a second-alternate.
However, Joseph is adamant that he deserves to be named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. “Hey, DPOY, I need that. That needs to be me. I need that,” Joseph declared. “They can do all that with the Pro Bowl stuff, but DPOY, I feel like I deserve that for sure. I feel like I’ve came in clutch for my team many times. I’ve made plays that nobody’s made. Nobody’s really making plays like how I’m making plays.”
New nickname for safety duo
Joseph’s impressive season continues alongside Brian Branch, with whom he forms a dynamic safety duo that has combined for 13 interceptions in 2024. Branch also earned Pro Bowl honors in just his second NFL season, further proving the effectiveness of their partnership. Joseph, confident in their dominance, stated, “We are the best safety duo in the NFL. Nobody else is doing what we’re doing in the league, bro, nobody else is doing what we’re doing. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s because we’re the Lions and they’ve got a narrative or whatever it is, but nobody is better than me and B.B. We’re coming out there every Sunday to make a play.”
Joseph also proposed a fitting nickname for the pair, inspired by his own persona. “I’m Zuperman, and he’s Batman,” Joseph explained. “He don’t do much talking, just straight down to business. He don’t do so much talking. B.B., that’s a certified hitter. Me, I’m Zuperman, my superpower is taking the ball away. So that’s what we call ourselves, Zuperman and Batman.”
“People struggle to cope with greatness”
For the second consecutive year, a Detroit Lions player has earned First-Team All-Pro recognition without initially being selected to the Pro Bowl. Last year, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown faced a similar situation. Although Joseph has been evasive about discussing the Pro Bowl snub in the past, he openly shared his thoughts on the process. “To be honest, I feel like it’s — people can’t handle greatness, man,” Joseph said. “People can’t handle greatness. If you look at it, I have every deserving right to be in the Pro Bowl. But they did it how they did it, and I wasn’t in there.”
“Doesn’t make no sense. But I’m kind of glad it happened, because it shows y’all what the Pro Bowl really is,” Joseph added. “It don’t make no sense for me not to be in there. I’m leading the league in interceptions, I should be in there. But the fact that I’m not in there, that says something about the Pro Bowl.”
Joseph’s aggressive playing style has drawn controversy, with some opponents, including Matthew Stafford, criticizing him as a “dirty player” after their postseason matchup last year. Joseph believes this reputation may have impacted his Pro Bowl candidacy but remains unfazed. “The Pro Bowl, I feel like they’re just hating on me, man,” Joseph said. “I’ve got a couple teams out there that don’t like me. There’s a couple teams out there that don’t like me, a couple fan bases out there that don’t like me, whatever. It’s cool. Y’all know what’s up with me.”
