 Trufant with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 21, 23, 31, 10 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1990-09-10)September 10, 1990 (age 34) Tacoma, Washington, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Woodrow Wilson (Tacoma) | ||||||||||||||||
| College: | Washington (2009–2012) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2013: 1st round, 22nd pick | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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Desmond Trufant (born September 10, 1990) is an American former professionalfootball player who was acornerback in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theWashington Huskies and was selected by theAtlanta Falcons in the first round of the2013 NFL draft.
Trufant attendedWoodrow Wilson High School inTacoma, Washington. He was named first-team all-state by theSeattle Times following his senior season, and also earned a spot on theSeattle Times preseason all-state team. He was named to the All-Narrows League first team as both a running back and cornerback as a senior, after posting 47 tackles and eight interceptions as a junior, when he was an All-Narrows League first-team cornerback.
Trufant was also a standout long jumper and triple jumper on the Rams' track team, and took second place in the Class 4A state track meet in thetriple jump (46 feet, 5.75 inches) and 11th in thelong jump (21 feet, 2.25 inches) as a junior in 2008. He also played basketball at Wilson, earning second-team all-league as a junior.
Considered a three-star recruit byRivals.com, Trufant was rated the 56th bestcornerback in the nation. He accepted a scholarship toWashington over offers fromArizona State,Oregon andWashington State, brotherMarcus' alma mater.[1]
Trufant attended theUniversity of Washington, where he played for theirHuskies football teams from 2009 to 2012. As a senior, he was a first-teamAll-Pac-12 selection.[2] The Huskies were ranked No. 16 in the nation (second in the Pac-12) in pass defense (188.9 yards allowed per game) at the end of the regular 2012 college football season.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Trufant's NFL combine workout | |
| Desmond Trufant's 40-yard dash |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft11+5⁄8 in (1.82 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 31+1⁄4 in (0.79 m) | 8+5⁄8 in (0.22 m) | 4.38 s | 1.50 s | 2.54 s | 3.85 s | 6.67 s | 37+1⁄2 in (0.95 m) | 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) | 16 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Washington'sPro Day[3][4] | ||||||||||||
TheAtlanta Falcons selected Trufant in the first round (22nd overall) of the2013 NFL draft.[5] He was the third cornerback selected in 2013, behindAlabama'sDee Milliner (9th overall) andHouston'sD. J. Hayden (12th overall), and was also the first of two cornerbacks the Falcons selected, the second being second round pickRobert Alford (60th overall).[6]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Falcon's select Trufant 22nd overall | |
| Desmond Trufant: First draft |
On July 24, 2013, the Atlanta Falcons signed Trufant to a four-year, $8.16 million contract that includes $6.94 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $4.31 million.[7][8]
Throughout training camp, he competed for a job as a starting cornerback againstAsante Samuel,Robert McClain, andRobert Alford.[9] Head coachMike Smith named Samuel and Trufant the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season.[10]
He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in theAtlanta Falcons' season-opener against theNew Orleans Saints. He made five combined tackles and a pass deflection in a 23–17 loss. In Week 7, Trufant recorded a season-high seven combined tackles and broke up a pass during a 31–23 victory against theTampa Bay Buccaneers. On November 3, Trufant recorded five combined tackles, a pass deflection, and his first career interception off of a pass by quarterbackCam Newton in the Falcons' 34–10 loss to theCarolina Panthers.[11] On December 15, Trufant tied his season-high seven combined tackles, along with two pass deflections, as well as intercepting a pass by quarterbackKirk Cousins in their 27–26 victory against theWashington Redskins.[12]He finished his rookie season with a career-high 70 combined tackles (55 solo), a career-high 17 pass deflections, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in 16 games and 16 starts.[13] He exceeded expectations, being ranked eighth out of all cornerbacks in the league byPro Football Focus. He allowed a 53% completion percentage and a quarterback rating of 75.2 to opposing quarterbacks in pass coverage.[14][15] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[16]
Trufant became the Falcons' No. 1 cornerback after they released Asante Samuel. He was officially named the starting cornerback, alongside Robert Alford, to begin the regular season.[17] On November 9, 2014, Trufant recorded a season-high seven combined tackles and a pass deflection during their 27–17 victory against theTampa Bay Buccaneers. The following week, he made a season-high two pass deflections and intercepted a pass by Cam Newton in a 19–17 victory over theCarolina Panthers.[18] On December 29, the Atlanta Falcons fired head coachMike Smith after the Falcons did not qualify for the playoffs, finishing the season with a 4–12 record.[19] Trufant finished the season with 61 combined tackles (53 solo), 16 pass deflections, and three interceptions, playing in 16 games with 16 starts.[20]
The Falcons' new head coach,Dan Quinn, retained Trufant and Alford as the starting cornerback duo.[21] In Week 11, Trufant recorded four combined tackles, two pass deflections, and his first career sack on quarterbackMatt Hasselbeck during a 21–24 loss to theIndianapolis Colts. The following week, he made a season-high six solo tackles in the Falcons' 20–10 loss to theMinnesota Vikings.[22] He finished the season with 42 combined tackles (35 solo), 11 pass deflections, a sack, and an interception, playing in 16 games with 16 starts.[20] Trufant received his first Pro Bowl selection when he was named as an alternate in the2016 Pro Bowl.[23]
He was named starter for the Falcons' season-opener against theTampa Bay Buccaneers, during which he made a season-high five combined tackles, broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass byJameis Winston during a 31–24 loss. On October 16, Trufant made five combined tackles and a sack onRussell Wilson in the Falcons' 26-24 loss at theSeattle Seahawks. In Week 9, Trufant made four solo tackles in the Falcons' 43–28 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He left in the first half after suffering a shoulder injury.[24][25] On November 29, Atlanta placed Trufant on injured reserve after they discovered he would need shoulder surgery, causing him to miss his first game in four seasons.[26][27]Jalen Collins was named as his replacement.Pro Football Focus gave Trufant an overall grade of 78.9, ranking 30th among all qualifying cornerbacks in 2016.[28] He finished the2016 season with 31 combined tackles (25 solo), four pass deflections, two sacks, and an interception, in nine games with nine starts.[20]
The Falcons went toSuper Bowl LI after finishing atop theNFC South with an 11–5 record, while defeating the Seattle Seahawks in theNFC Divisional Round and theGreen Bay Packers in theNFC Championship game. On February 5, 2017, the Atlanta Falcons lost 34–28 in overtime to theNew England Patriots, after leading 28–9 going into the fourth quarter.[29]
On April 8, 2017, the Atlanta Falcons signed Trufant to a five-year, $68.5 million contract, which included a guaranteed $41.52 million and $15 million signing bonus.[7][30][31]
New defensive coordinatorMarquand Manuel, who replaced Rick Smith after the Falcons' collapse in Super Bowl LI. In Week 2, Trufant recorded two solo tackles, broke up a pass, an interception, and recovered a fumble off a strip sack byVic Beasley and returned it 15-yards for a touchdown during a 34–23 victory against theGreen Bay Packers onNBC Sunday Night Football. His performance earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[32] On November 20, 2017, Trufant made five solo tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Russell Wilson during a 34–31 victory at theSeattle Seahawks.[33] Trufant was inactive for the Falcons' Week 13 loss to theMinnesota Vikings due to aconcussion he received he previous week.[34] He finished the2017 season with 41 combined tackles (36 solo), 12 pass deflections, two interceptions, a sack, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown in 15 games and 15 starts.[20] Pro Football Focus gave Trufant an overall grade of 84.9, which ranked 19th among all qualified cornerbacks in 2017.[35]
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In 2018, Trufant started all 16 games, recording 66 tackles, one sack, a team-high 12 passes defensed, and no interceptions.
In Week 2 against thePhiladelphia Eagles, Trufant intercepted quarterbackCarson Wentz twice in the 24–20 win.[36] Trufant missed four games in the middle of the season due to a toe injury he suffered during Week 5 against theHouston Texans. In Week 11 against theCarolina Panthers, Trufant recorded 6 tackles and an interception in the 29–3 win. In Week 12 against theTampa Bay Buccaneers, Trufant had two passes defended and an interception. Trufant broke his forearm in Week 14, during the win against theCarolina Panthers, and was ruled out for the rest of the season.[37] Trufant started 9 games during the season, recording 18 tackles, 7 passes defended, and a career-high four interceptions.
On March 18, 2020, Trufant was released by the Falcons after seven seasons.[38]
On March 25, 2020, Trufant signed a two-year, $21 million contract with theDetroit Lions.[39][40]
In Week 9 against theMinnesota Vikings, Trufant recorded his first sack as a Lion onKirk Cousins during the 34–20 loss.[41]In Week 11 against theCarolina Panthers, Trufant recorded his first interception as a Lion off a pass thrown byP. J. Walker during the 20–0 loss.[42] He was placed on injured reserve on December 2, 2020.[43]
On March 17, 2021, Trufant was released by the Lions.[44]
Trufant signed a one-year contract with theChicago Bears on March 20, 2021.[45] On August 13, Trufant left Bears camp to be with his father, who was critically ill. On August 31, Trufant was released by the Bears.[46]
On September 7, 2021, Trufant signed with theNew Orleans Saints.[47] He played in two games before being released on October 12.[48]
On October 19, 2021, Trufant signed with theLas Vegas Raiders.[49]
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sack | Int | Yds | TDs | PD | FF | FR | ||
| 2013 | ATL | 16 | 16 | 70 | 55 | 15 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 1 |
| 2014 | ATL | 16 | 16 | 61 | 53 | 8 | 0.0 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 1 |
| 2015 | ATL | 16 | 16 | 42 | 35 | 7 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| 2016 | ATL | 9 | 9 | 31 | 25 | 6 | 2.0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 2017 | ATL | 15 | 15 | 41 | 36 | 5 | 1.0 | 2 | 43 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 3 |
| 2018 | ATL | 16 | 16 | 66 | 55 | 11 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | ATL | 9 | 9 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0.0 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | DET | 6 | 6 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | NO | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| LV | 8 | 1 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 113 | 104 | 366 | 302 | 64 | 6.0 | 14 | 97 | 0 | 89 | 3 | 7 | |
Trufant's brothers,Marcus andIsaiah, have both played cornerback in the NFL.[50][51] Marcus Trufant had a ten-year career with nine seasons as a member of theSeattle Seahawks (2003-2012) and Isaiah Trufant was a journeyman with multiple teams during a five-year career, three of which he spent with theNew York Jets (2011-2013).[52][53]
On August 15, 2021, Trufant's father died, and Trufant left the Chicago Bears training camp to be with his family.[54]
Media related toDesmond Trufant at Wikimedia Commons