The Falcons cut some dead weight on Tuesday evening by releasing cornerback Robert Alford. Alford had been with the team for six years and had his moments, but his play fell off significantly in 2018 and he was ranked among the NFL’s worst cornerbacks for the season.
Alford may have been the most glaring example, but Atlanta’s depth at the position was exposed last year in a big way. The team’s supposed top cornerback Desmond Trufant also had a tough year and according to the advanced stats he wasn’t even an average starter in 2018. James Koh has compiled a ranking of the top 25 cornerbacks in the league using seven different Next Gen Stats. Trufant came in at No. 23 on the list.
The numbers here reflect what we saw on tape from Trufant this year. While he’s still good at not allowing separation (opponents averaged just 2.3 yards), Trufant gave up far too many catches, allowing a 59.3 percent catch rate and and a 88.5 passer rating.
The most frustrating part of Trufant’s game by far is his notable lack of interceptions. He dropped several during the season and finished with zero. Trufant only has nine in his career, which is exceedingly low for a defensive back with his talent.
He still has time to turn it around, but Trufant’s big contract extension is starting to look like an albatross.
