BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Eagles are all in.
In a stunning move Friday, the team agreed with cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to a five-year, $60 million contract, landing the best free agent on the market and one of the best players in football.
With Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie added Thursday to join four-time Pro Bowler Asante Samuel on the roster, the Eagles boast the best collection of cornerback talent in the NFL.
Add in defensive end Jason Babin, whose agreement was also officially announced Friday, and the Eagles have quickly assembled the talent to field a top-flight defense to match their explosive offense.
The moves back up the team's promise to be aggressive in free agency. They are also a clear sign of coach Andy Reid's commitment to win big and win now as he enters his 13th season in Philadelphia.
"Like everything else, it's been fast and furious," Reid said at the team's training-camp site. Looking over the team's free-agent spending spree, he said with typical understatement, "It's a pretty good list."
On Twitter, guard Todd Herremans wrote simply: *BOOM*
But the acquisition of two talented cornerbacks immediately raised questions about the future of Samuel, who until Friday was the team's best defensive player.
General manager Howie Roseman was evasive when asked how the team would handle the three corners.
"It's always been a priority position for us, corners and pass rushers on defense. We felt last year in situations where maybe we got a little shorthanded, and we thought it was a place that we wanted to go heavy in," Roseman said.
Still, it's easy to wonder how the team can manage the egos and paychecks of three corners, all of whom have been Pro Bowlers. It seems unlikely that Samuel would accept a diminished role.
A league source with knowledge of the team's plans said the Eagles plan to keep all three, but that they would be open to a trade if they got a "fantastic" offer.
Samuel, 30, has not reported to training camp. The team has said he has been excused for personal reasons. He and his agent did not return calls seeking comment Friday.
To land Asomugha, who turned 30 earlier this month, the Eagles broke with their tradition of shying away from players who have hit that age and gave him $25 million in guarantees. In doing so, they landed a big, talented, four-time all pro - including each of the last three years - who is also praised for his charitable work.
"It was a unique opportunity to get a unique player," Roseman said.
