Atlanta Falcons Rumor: Parting ways with Desmond Trufant

Desmond Trufant and the Atlanta Falcons are rumored to be parting ways with the former 2014 first-round pick out of Washington.

This move by the Atlanta Falcons should not be a surprise to anyone, we wrote about this happening last year. With the Falcons in cap hell and their ability to save nearly $5 million by cutting him, this was a move that was going to be made.

Four years ago, this was a move that no one would have envisioned. Heading into the 2016 NFL season, Desmond Trufant was among the Top 5 corners in the league. He had established himself as the shutdown corner that the Falcons had long missed and then his injury happen.

Since the shoulder injury in Week 9 of the 2016 NFL season, he has not been the same. As we know, he would miss the Super Bowl run as that injury required him to have season-ending surgery. Coming back in 2017, Trufant was not the same guy he was.

In the final 12 weeks of the 2018 season, Desmond Trufant seemed to be back to his old self. According to PFF, he was the best tackling corner in the NFL and was named as the best corner in the NFC South. Despite his four interceptions in 2019, he was again plagued by the injury bug all but cementing his time with the Falcons would be over.

He missed seven full games in 2019 for the Atlanta Falcons. In his nine appearances, he had five accepted penalties, four interceptions, 18 tackles and took roughly 60 percent of the defensive snaps.

While he was considered a leader in the locker room, his inability to stay healthy and justify his salary of $15 million in 2020 is what ended up costing him his spot in Atlanta after six seasons. This will be the first of several cuts that we will see the Falcons make and there may be one or two that will shock fans as we work closer to the 2020 season.