Philadelphia Eagles: Andy Reid Admits Jaiquawn Jarrett Was a Mistake

The Philadelphia Eagles released second-year safety Jaiquawn Jarrett yesterday, just 18 months after the team drafted him out of Temple University.

Jarrett was initially seen as a stretch as a second round draft pick with most teams believing he should have gone somewhere in the middle to later rounds.

The Eagles played Jarrett sparingly as a rookie, although the results were very underwhelming. Jarrett was beat on a deep ball by Larry Fitzgerald in what turned out to be a four-point loss that helped bury the Eagles’ season, although that was probably more the fault of rookie defensive coordinator Juan Castillo for putting Jarrett against an All-Pro receiver.

Jarrett missed numerous tackles and frequently seemed overmatched at the NFL level. He went unclaimed on waivers today, which could already signal the end of his career in the National Football League.

Head coach Andy Reid even admitted today that the pick of Jarrett in the second round was a mistake, saying, “I goofed.” Jarrett was supposed to be a player that could help replace the void left from Brian Dawkins and eventually Quintin Mikell, as they left for the Denver Broncos and St. Louis Rams, respectively.

Jarrett never came close to fulfilling those expectations though. His lack of speed was evident as far back as his Pro Day, when he ran a 4.62 40 yard dash, but Reid apparently felt Jarrett was a talented enough player anyway that he had to have him.

The Eagles are left with Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman as the starting safeties, with Colt Anderson and David Sims as the backups. Anderson primarily plays on special teams and Sims was just acquired from the Cleveland Browns.