NFL Trade Rumors: Which Teams Should Call Eagles About Asante Samuel?

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According to Jason La Canfora of NFL.com, the Eagles are willing to trade CB Asante Samuel:

"Eagles letting it be known that CB Asante Samuel could be had prior to the trade deadline. Not sure odds of it going down are great but..."

So, even though it's uncertain whether or not Asante will get traded, here are four teams that could use his CB services for the remainder of 2011.

Atlanta Falcons

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Had it not been for an offense that has the potential to score over 30 points on any given Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons would be 0-6 right now.

And, despite having the No. 8 ranked rush defense, that's only because there's no reason to run the ball against them when their pass defense is so horrendous.

Dunta Robinson is the only legit defender in pass coverage, so teams generally throw the ball anywhere else.

Brent Grimes has solidly been developing into an established CB, but the addition of Samuel would give much needed depth and talent to the Atlanta secondary.

Let's face it, the Falcons will be lucky to finish third in the NFC South with a pass defense that allows over 280 yards per game.

New England Patriots

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Samuel was originally drafted by the Patriots and it's no secret they could use him back in New England.

They have the No. 32-ranked pass defense, allowing 322 yards per game. Sure they've been improving, but allowing that much through the air is going to cost them in the postseason.

In Samuel's last two seasons in New England (2006 and 2007) he compiled 16 interceptions, 42 pass deflects and 119 tackles.

Not bad for a CB who's not normally known as a tackler and right now, whether Bill Belichick will admit to it or not, his pass defense could use all the help it can get.

Plus, bringing back Asante would be equivalent to getting the band back together, especially with Deion Branch already having come back.

Oakland Raiders

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After the Raiders traded for Carson Palmer, their only concern about beefing up their No. 28-ranked pass defense is, what do they have left to give?

All trade proposals aside, Asante Samuel would be a great addition to the Silver and Black, as the entire defense needs to improve.

Allowing over 280 pass yards and 113 rush yards per game isn't going to bode well late in the season.

That being said, if they can acquire Samuel out of New England, not only would that improve the secondary, but safety Michael Huff becomes that much more dangerous.

Needless to say, both would complement each other very well.

The Raiders are clearly building for the short-term future, and although he's 30 years old, Samuel still has a solid three or four years left in him (five at the most).

Chicago Bears

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The Chicago Bears could use anything right now to get improvement out of their pass and rush defense, ranked No. 25 and No. 22, respectively

The thing is, their secondary isn't all that bad with Brandon Meriweather and Charles Tillman leading the pack.

However, it would be a great reunion for Meriweather and Samuel, who played together on the 18-1 New England team in 2007.

And, if the Bears are to slow down the Packers' or Lions' offenses, they must address the pass defense (allows 275 yards per game).

At this point Chicago doesn't have anything to lose either, since nothing is being expected from them thanks to Green Bay rolling and Detroit being on the rise.

Therefore, adding Samuel can only help and give them a chance to compete against two of the NFL's best teams.

 

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