Detroit Lions Should Trade for Philadelphia Eagles' Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

With the shock blockbuster move that culminated with Nnamdi Asomugha taking his talents to Philadelphia, the Eagles suddenly have a surplus of talent at cornerback.

With a shut-down corner in Asomugha, one of the best ever zone corners in Asante Samuel who played lights-out last year and a young and talented third option in Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, it is very likely that they will look to trade one of them to try to improve other parts of their roster.

At the moment, Philadelphia has depth at safety, cornerback, wide receiver, quarterback, running back and defensive end. However, they lack quality players at defensive tackle who can stuff the run or even collapse the pocket. This is sure to be one of the areas they look to remedy as they prepare for a Super Bowl push this season.

Fortunately for the Lions, they have an embarrassment of riches at defensive tackle. With young superstar Ndamukong Suh and future Pro Bowler Nick Fairley, they have a one-two punch of elite pass rushers.

However, they also have two players who would probably draw the interest of the Eagles front office who need to stiffen their run defence. Those two players are Sammie Hill and Corey Williams.

I believe that both of these players would be able to spearhead a deal to get a cornerback from the Eagles. It really all depends what the Eagles want. Corey Williams would provide proven run-stuffing ability and some pass rush right now.

On the other hand, Hill has the potential to be a three-down nose tackle in a 4-3 defense who can collapse the pocket and alter an opponent's run game. However, he is not at the level of Williams yet, and may take a few more years yet.

The signing of Asomugha shows that the Eagles think they can win right now, so I believe they would prefer and desire a proven veteran run stopper who can set the tone on the inside of the defensive line.

I am not saying that the Eagles would trade one of their cornerbacks for just Corey, but a package with Williams, a third-round pick next year and a cornerback like Nathan Vasher, a pass rushing defensive tackle/run-stopping defensive end like Andre Fluellen or hard nosed linebacker like Caleb Campbell.

This would help the Eagles load up on positions of need for the upcoming season. It would also not rob many key starters from the Lions roster. Defensive tackle has plenty of depth and Nathan Vasher will be replaced by Aaron Berry this season.

As for Eagles' side of the trade, they would need to decide which cornerback to send to Detroit. Nnamdi Asomugha would obviously not be available, which leaves Rodgers-Cromartie and Samuel to choose from. Given the trend of the Eagles free agent signings, which have involved bringing in two 31-year-old stars who are on the decline in their careers, it would seem likely that the Eagles would prefer to keep Asante Samuel despite the Twitter rumours.

There is no doubt that he is the better of the two corners now, and will be for at least 2011 and 2012 barring injury. He also understands the Eagles playbook, and given the short offseason it would make sense to only have one new cornerback on the field at once.

This would mean that Rodgers-Cromartie would be the hypothetical new starting cornerback for Detroit. This would be a great match. DRC is a top press cornerback with great length, speed and ball skills.

He was the top young cornerback in the league in 2009, but the deterioration of the Cardinals pass rush in 2010 left him exposed. However, in tandem with the Silver Crush, DRC would be able to return to his Pro Bowl form.

The best part is DRC's youth. At just 25, he has yet to reach the typical age where cornerbacks become elite, and this suits the Lions team which is still rebuilding perfectly. He would be able to become a fan favourite over a career spanning multiple contracts.

All in all, this seems to me to be a good trade for both parties. The Eagles would still have the best cornerback tandem in the league, but would also improve their ability to stuff the run and make a deep playoff push.

On the other hand, the Lions would get a bona fide number one cornerback with his best football ahead of him. As a Lions fan, I hope this happens