The cornerbacks room is getting extra crowded after the Philadelphia Eagles claimed Jimmy Moreland off waivers on Monday. He is the 13th player rostered on what appears to be a deep position group heading into training camp.
The Eagles released veteran linebacker/defensive end Joe Ostman to make room for Moreland. Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson was the first to report the move. Moreland was released by the Houston Texans on May 20 after seeing action in seven games during the 2021 campaign.
“I’m very excited,” Moreland told Wilson. “I’m ready to get back in there. This is a great offseason for the Eagles. It’s going to be a great experience.”
Prior to Houston, the 26-year-old spent two seasons in Washington where he made 10 starts. Moreland was a seventh-round pick (227th overall) in the 2019 NFL draft. He has 88 tackles, five pass breakups, and one interception in 37 career games. That one pick came against the Eagles in 2020 when he outworked John Hightower on a route to intercept Carson Wentz.
Nicknamed “The People’s Corner” in Washington, the 5-foot-11, 182-pounder was a preseason standout in 2019 and saw 471 snaps that year mostly as a slot corner. Head coach Ron Rivera raved about Moreland’s personality, according to Hogs Haven.
“I’m a pick machine,” Moreland told reporters in 2019. “So I’m trying to get that turnover ratio up and get my defense off the field and give my offense momentum back.”
Jimmy Moreland. Playmaker. #Redskins
The latest Eagles news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Eagles newsletter here!
James Madison’s Leader in Interceptions, Pick Sixes
Moreland was a revelation at James Madison University where he set record after record in four stellar collegiate seasons. The Florida native is the school’s all-time leader in interceptions (18) and pick sixes (6) while setting a program-record 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in 2018.
My Draft Gem of the Day:
Jimmy Moreland (CB, JMU)
5’11”
175 lbs
4.48 40 yard dash
Projected Round: 5-6
18 career INTs
6 career TDs
He earned first-team All-American honors as a senior and was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award. His lack of size scared some scouts away, although there was never any doubt about his play-making potential as a ball-hawking corner.
“He’s tenacious and physical from press with the fluidity and speed to hold up in trail technique but his off-man coverage needs work,” NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein wrote in a scouting report. “He’s thin and needs more functional mass and strength to play the NFL game, but his ball skills and toughness give him a shot at eventually finding NFL playing time as a press-happy nickel.”
Eagles Cornerbacks Room Getting Crowded
The Eagles made a concerted effort to add depth at the cornerback position in the offseason. They’ll enter the 2022 campaign with two Pro Bowl starters on the outside: James Bradberry and Darius Slay, with Avonte Maddox returning as the nickel corner – unless they move Maddox to safety and slide Moreland in at the nickel spot.
Behind them there are a bunch of unknowns, a group that Howie Roseman believes is loaded with potential and promise.
“They are young, talented guys that will have the first time going through our offseason program,” Roseman said of the young corners, “and we look at them almost as part of this draft class in terms of adding guys who, for the first time, go through our off-season and get a chance to be with our coaches.”
Eagles draft was so exciting I feel like I haven’t spent enough time mentioning how perfect Josh Jobe is for Philly. One time, whistle was blown, he went over to the WR and just slapped the ball out of his hand as he was about to give it to the ref…
Philadelphia brings back Tay Gowan, Kary Vincent Jr., Craig James, Josiah Scott, Mac McCain III, and Zech McPhearson at cornerback. The team also signed Josh Blackwell, Mario Goodrich, and Josh Jobe as undrafted rookie free agents to increase competition at the position.
Comments
Eagles Claim Ex-Washington ‘Pick Machine’ Off NFL Waivers