Asante Samuel Trade Rumors: What Impact Could Eagles CB Have in 2011?

The Philadelphia Eagles’ frenzy of player acquisitions has taken the cornerback position from an area of need (following Ellis Hobbs’ retirement) to one of the strongest collections of talent in the league. The additions of free-agent gem Nnamdi Asomugha and ex-Cardinal Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (via the Kevin Kolb trade) give the Eagles a pair of starting corners that can match up with anyone in the NFL.

The odd man out in Philly appears to be incumbent starter Asante Samuel. Four years removed from his own turn as a prized free-agent acquisition, he now becomes the best (and at $5.9 million, highest-paid) third corner in the game.

Unsurprisingly, that situation makes Samuel a promising target as trade bait for some of the teams whose pockets weren’t deep enough to land Asomugha. The Philadelphia Inquirer notes (via Twitter) that the Eagles are already fielding offers for the 30-year-old corner.

Samuel, who picked off seven passes last year despite missing five games with a knee injury, has the talent to be a number one corner almost anywhere that isn’t Philadelphia. Obviously, he’s a bit of a gamble coming off the injury, but it’s hard to imagine that some CB-needy team won’t be willing to take that risk.

Samuel’s high INT totals (at least four every year since 2006) come at a price: he’s a gambler who’s willing to risk getting burned for a big play in order to have a shot at making the pick. Any team trading for him will need to be willing to eat a few long TDs in exchange for the game-changing plays he can still make.

Ideally, Samuel would land on another team (like the Eagles) that puts a lot of pressure on the QB. The fewer chances opposing teams have to go deep on Samuel, the fewer negative plays he’ll surrender and the more chances he’ll get to jump a short pass for a turnover.

Helping Samuel’s trade value is the fact that he’s not a liability against the run, though he’s nothing special as a tackler either. He won’t be much help to a team that likes to blitz off the corner, though—in eight NFL seasons, he’s never recorded a sack.

The Eagles’ defense puts a lot of pressure on their corners, and having a nickelback with Samuel’s talent is a luxury Andy Reid won’t mind. As such, they can hold out for a strong trade offer (provided that Samuel doesn’t complain too much about his demotion).

Philly would love to land a first-round pick for their erstwhile star corner, just as the Giants are trying to do with Osi Umenyiora, but like the Giants, they’ll probably have to settle for less. Still, a second-rounder wouldn’t be too high a price to pay for a CB who can produce turnovers like Samuel can.

If Samuel is dealt, he could convert a shaky secondary (say, Houston’s or Detroit’s) into a respectable one virtually overnight with his ball-hawking and his ability to handle elite receivers in single coverage.