Philadelphia Eagles Trade Rumors: Team Officially Shopping Asante Samuel

NFL Network analyst Jason LaCanfora tweeted today that the Philadelphia Eagles are "letting it be known that CB Asante Samuel could be had prior to the trade deadline."

Many people have speculated that Samuel is a likely trade candidate given the depth the Eagles have at the cornerback position. However, this is the first legitimate report I have seen about it. If the Eagles were to actually trade Samuel, it would have to be for another player rather than a draft pick. Otherwise, they'd just be weakening a team that already has enough weaknesses on defense.

The obvious need for the Eagles is a linebacker. I would seriously hope that is the position the Eagles would target in return for Samuel.

The downside to this whole thing is that, if Samuel is not traded now, how will he react to being placed on the market? He's a temperamental person and he seemed to be pretty bothered by speculation that he might be traded back in training camp.

Ultimately, it could affect his play. If his ego gets bruised, he may not be 100 percent mentally in the game.

I still find it unlikely that any trade will happen today for the Eagles. 

The only change to the roster that could be in the near future is if/when they take DE Brandon Graham off of the PUP list. When that happens, it'll most likely just mean that someone like Phillip Hunt or Jarrad Page gets cut.