Members of the Falcons fan base have been pointing fingers at the highly touted Desmond Trufant for years now, hoping the organization would cut ties with him each offseason. Most of that animosity comes from the five-year, $69 million contract Atlanta gave the former first-round selection out of Washington back in 2017. However, prior to this offseason, Atlanta would have saved no money by releasing him. That changed this year, as they can salvage around $5 million, and with the Falcons extremely tight against the cap, that is the direction they will go, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelisserro.
The #Falcons plan to release star CB Desmond Trufant this week, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 16, 2020
It’s fair to say Trufant never lived up to the humongous figure he received three years ago, but he remained the best corner on a team where there wasn’t much help around him on the defensive side of the ball. He consistently graded out as a 70+ defender, according to PFF, and had a career-high four interceptions last season while playing in only nine games.
This move shocks me a bit because the Falcons don’t have any proven corners outside of Desmond Trufant on the roster. Isaiah Oliver and Kendall Sheffield have shown promise, but neither one of them should be trusted as a team’s number one option. You have to think cornerback will now take priority in April’s draft, especially if Atlanta decides to load up on their defensive line in free agency.
With the new CBA in place, Post-June 1st cuts are a thing again this offseason. It’s not yet known, but if the Falcons were to put this designation on Trufant, they would save upwards of $10 million against this year’s cap, which would make a lot more sense. It’s unlikely Atlanta could find a cornerback as quality as Trufant for just $5 million on the market.
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