Eagles seek waivers of Washington’s former draft

The Philadelphia Eagles claimed cornerback Jimmy Moreland off waivers from the Houston Texans on Monday afternoon, according to an official team announcement.

This isn’t the first time the Eagles have shown interest in the former James Madison product. They previously wanted to sign Moreland after being waived by Washington in September 2021, but claimed by the Texans instead.

The Eagles managed to get it this time around after the 18 teams ahead of them in the waiver wire (which mirrors the order of the NFL Draft) elected not to file a claim.

Moreland, who turns 27 in August, was originally a seventh-round pick at No. 227 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. He made 10 starts in 30 total games with Washington, recording 88 tackles, five passes defended, one interception and a forced fumble. Moreland saw very limited playing time with a pretty bad Houston team last year with just eight defensive snaps and 38 special teams snaps.

Funny enough, Moreland’s only career pick came when he intercepted Carson Wentz in Week 1 of the 2020 season. ‘a failure? And then how he never really got over it? Yeah, well, Moreland played a part in that.

It looked like Moreland had shown promise in Washington. After allowing a passer rating of 95.2 as a rookie, he improved to 74.1 in 2020. His missed tackle rate also showed a slight improvement, although still poor. Moreland’s small stature is clearly an issue in this regard.

That being said, Moreland is definitely worth a shot. He will be able to compete with Josiah Scott (among others) for a nickel cornerback spot behind Avonte Maddox.

For what it’s worth, our enemies in Hogs Haven recently advocated for COs to bring Moreland back to Maryland. He was a bit of a fan favorite there.

Scouting report via Lance Zierlein of NFL.com:

Outside corner undersized by trade that will move inside due to lack of desired NFL size. Moreland is a hawking playmaker who has seen six of his 18 career interceptions turn into touchdowns. He’s tenacious and physical from the press with the fluidity and speed to hold his own in trail technique, but his off-man coverage needs work. He’s thin and needs more functional mass and strength to play the NFL game, but his ball skills and toughness give him a chance to eventually find playing time in the NFL as a happy nickel. the press.

Strong points:

Sports testing:

Moreland is like the eleventh billionth corner on the Eagles roster now, by the way. Behind the obvious starting trio of Darius Slay, James Bradberry and Maddox they have… (as I try to remember by heart)… Zech McPhearson, Tay Gowan, Kary Vincent Jr., Mac McCain , André Chachere, Josiah Scott, Josh Blackwell, Mario Goodson and Josh Jobe. Oh, and now that I’ve checked the roster to confirm, they also have Craig James. So many corners! And so few securities. Will the Eagles move any of these guys to the back of defense?

In a corresponding roster move to make room for Moreland, the Eagles released Joe Ostman with a failed physical designation. Smokin’ Joe left after initially joining the team as a 2018 UDFA signing.