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Army’s Brett Toth cut by Eagles, claimed by Cardinals

The former Army offensive lineman’s NFL dreams live on as he was claimed by the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

By Mitchell Northam
Baltimore Ravens v Philadelphia Eagles Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Brett Toth, a former offensive tackle for the Army Black Knights football team, was cut Saturday by the Philadelphia Eagles, but will get the chance to pursue his NFL dream with a different squad.

Toth didn’t spend too much time on the waiver wire and was signed Sunday by the Arizona Cardinals, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Sunday also happened to be Toth’s 23rd birthday. Signing an NFL contract seems like a pretty good present.

The 6-foot-6 2nd Lieutenant could be tasked with blocking for Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray this season. Last season, Army was the only team to hold Murray’s Oklahoma Sooners to less than 29 points.

Toth graduated from West Point in 2018 as a nuclear engineer and had completed one year of active duty service before he was granted a waiver by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy last month to pursue a career in pro football. In June, President Donald Trump signed a memo which outlined a path for service academy graduates to defer their active-duty service temporarily to play sports professionally.

Before being cut, Toth played in one preseason game with the Eagles, against the Jets on Aug. 29.

This season, Toth joins other service academy graduates in the NFL such as Navy long snapper Joe Cardona (Patriots), Air Force long snapper Austin Cutting (Vikings), Army offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva (Steelers), Air Force guard Ben Garland (49ers) and Air Force tight end Garrett Griffin (Saints) who was recently placed on injured reserve. Former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds was cut by the Seahawks on Sunday and hasn’t been picked up elsewhere yet.

Toth was Army’s starting right tackle in 2017, a season in which the Black Knights went 10-3, won the C.I.C. and a bowl game. Toth’s outstanding play earned him a spot in the Senior Bowl — making him the first West Point grad to ever do so — and made him a watch list candidate for the Outland Trophy and put him on the AP’s All-Bowl team.

The Cardinals begin the 2019-20 season at home, hosting the Detroit Lions on Sept. 8 at 4:25 p.m. EST.