Skip to content
Eagles
Link copied to clipboard

Report: Eagles claim CB off waivers

A break from the defensive coordinator discussion - for one post at least.

The Eagles have claimed cornerback Isaiah Trufant off waivers from the Jets, according to Adam Caplan of FoxSports.com. Per the report, Trufant will officially join the Birds the day after the Super Bowl.

Trufant (5-8, 170) spent last season in the UFL, playing for Jim Fassel and the Las Vegas Locomotives. He was named Defensive Player of the Year.

Trufant, 28, played previously in the Arena Football League and played his college ball at Eastern Washington.

The Jets signed him to their practice squad in December and he played in one regular-season game. Trufant was also active for the divisional-round game against the Patriots.

"Hair on fire," said Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, when describing Trufant to Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger. "Making plays whether he's on the scout team or if he's now mixed in with the defensive (starters). We want to make sure we don't have a guy sitting right there on our practice squad that can potentially help us. We want to get him active and take a look at him. Test drive him."

Per the article, Jets teammates soon nicknamed Trufant Scrappy-Doo.

"All the nice receivers we have here, he's got no hesitation to line up against them," defensive back Drew Coleman told Orr. "To us, he has the attitude that he can compete with these guys."

We all know about the Eagles' unsettled cornerback situation. They've got Asante Samuel as the starter on the left side and Joselio Hanson as the nickel back.

Other than that, spots are up for grabs. Second-year player Trevard Lindley will get a look, and Dimitri Patterson will have a shot to earn a spot somewhere. After two season-ending neck injuries, it seems unlikely that Ellis Hobbs will return, although he has not officially announced his retirement.

But it's possible (actually likely) that the starting right cornerback isn't currently on the roster. The starter could be selected in April's draft or could be added via free agency or a trade, depending on what happens with the CBA (by the way, I'm already sick of including the CBA disclaimer in every post).

According to Caplan, no other team put a waiver claim in for Trufant, and the Jets would have signed him to a futures contract had the Birds not grabbed him.

Meanwhile, if you missed my thoughts on the surprise hiring of Juan Castillo, here are five thoughts to ponder.

You can follow Moving the Chains on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Download our NEW iPhone/Android app for even more Birds coverage, including app-exclusive videos and analysis. Get it here.