The Eagles moved aggresively today, getting former Patriot cornerback Asante Samuel to come to Philadelphia on the first 
day of the free agency period and not letting him get out of town without signing a contract. All the details of the deal aren’t out yet, but it is a 6-year deal. My guess (and this is really just a guess) is that the deal is for over $60 million, with at most half of it guarunteed.
You can say what you want about the Eagles having other more pressing needs on the roster than cornerback (wide receiver, defensive end, linebacker), but the bottom line is the Eagles just signed the best available free agent on the market (if you assume Randy Moss will re-sign with New England). Samuel is a legit Pro Bowler and probably one of the top 5 cornerbacks in the league, a position that is always at a premium.
There may also be reasons for bringing in Samuel that aren’t immediately obvious. There are rumblings that Lito Sheppard isn’t happy with his contract, and when you combine that with the injuries he’s had over the last couple of seasons, the Eagles may not have been as set at corner as they appeared. The popular rumor is that the Eagles will now look to trade Sheppard, maybe for a wide out. It seems logical. You have to imagine that if Sheppard was already unhappy, the Samuel signing didn’t exactly thrill him. There’s no point in having that sort of locker room issue hanging over your team, especially for a player that you’ve made expendable.
You have to be happy any time your team shows that they’re doing whatever they can to get better. As I learned from some new kind of Girl Scout cookies the other day, “Asante” means “Thank you” in some other language. I don’t know what language, but it doesn’t matter: Asantes go out to Joe Banner and Andy Reid for this one.
The Eagles also look like the front-runners to sign former Raiders defensive end Chris Clemons. I don’t know anything about him, but he did have 8 sacks last year, so that sounds good to me.
This is fantastic! Yes, he might be overpaid and overhyped, but there’s no doubt he’s one of the best corners in the league and it’s about time the Eagles are making use of the cap room that always seem to hold on to. I can see a good amount of value in Lito, especially if you’re talking about upgrading the WR position–a position that seems to be of far less value on the open market than CB. I’ve even heard the name Larry Fitzgerald thrown around as a possibility. Can’t wait for Lehigh!
Thomas Tapeh signed with the Vikings. Makes a lot of sense, reunites with Childress, and he’s from Minneapolis, played college ball for Minnesota. They’ll probably replace him from within. Fullback isn’t too important to this offense, obviously.
Would have loved to see the Eagles make a trade for Jonathan Vilma, but he went to the Saints.
Oh, and I’ve heard the Fitzgerald rumors also. The Eagles would obviously have to throw in a pretty decent pick (3rd rounder maybe?) along with Sheppard.