Nnamdi Asomugha to the Eagles: What Free Agent Pickup Means for Asante Samuel

The signing of Nnamdi Asomugha gives the Philadelphia Eagles two of the best pass defenders in the NFL when you pair up Asomugha with fellow Pro Bowl selection Asante Samuel.

It was no secret that the one thing that held the Philadelphia Eagles back from a possible Super Bowl trip was their spotty defensive play and the Eagles have done a great deal this free-agency period to address that.

During the 2010 NFL season, Samuel was one of the only Eagles defenders doing anything that was in any way overly impacting for the Eagles.

Samuel's Pro Bowl selection was based off his solid defensive stats he racked up last season. His line was: 26 tackles, with seven interceptions, 14 pass deflections in just 11 games played last year.

Samuel would take the load of the most difficult players downfield as rookie cornerback Nate Allen and veteran Quintin Mikell did a admirable job backing up Samuels last season. The two compiled 136 tackles, six interceptions, 10 pass deflections, a sack and a forced fumble last year.

Now Mikell has signed with the St. Louis Rams, but the Eagles have also brought in Pro Bowl cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie with the Kevin Kolb trade to replace him, and now have created the best secondary in the entire league.

Now instead of Samuel having to take the most difficult assignments time in and time out, he will have less pressure on him to be that No. 1 guy and will be able to create more plays for himself playing off his two new teammates.

This is poised to be the Eagles' year as far as winning a championship goes, and it also happens to be the end of Samuel's contract as well.

With the Eagles signing Rodgers-Cromartie and Asomugha to long-term tenures, and the Eagles having a solid second-year cornerback in Allen, it appears that this could be Samuel's last dance with the Eagles.

Add in the money that is going to have to be pumped into re-signing Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson after this season is done, there won't be enough money to keep Samuel around past this season—unless he is willing to take a big undercut in his pay‚ and it would be expected that he would not.

That being said, expect Samuel to come out firing on all cylinders, knowing that the opportunity to win a Super Bowl is within reach, and his play will make a huge impact on whether the Eagles bust or win their first Super Bowl in the franchise's 78-year history.

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