There has been some talk floating around about a possible trade between the Eagles and Cardinals that would see them swap QB Kevin Kolb for CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Now, to be clear this is more speculation than rumor, so don't take this to mean that the teams have a deal or have even talked about it.
That said, the initial reaction people seem to have is to wonder whether the deal is worth it for the Cardinals? But I wonder whether the deal would be worth doing for the Eagles? From one perspective, they're giving up a backup QB who will leave year anyway for a guy that will start at corner. So in that sense, the deal would represent an upgrade for the Eagles.
But is DRC the guy the team really needs at right corner? We all know the deal with Asante Samuel. Very good cover guy, game changing ball skills and instincts, but not a good tackler. So would it be wise to place a guy that's even worse at tackling across the field from him? That's what would happen with DRC.
According to Football Outsiders, DRC missed almost 19% of the tackles he attempted, which was the worst percentage in the leauge by any defensive back. Plus, he's coming off a down year and judging from some comments made by Cards coach Ken Whisenhunt recently, Arizona doesn't seem entirely in love with him. Teams have never been afraid to throw at him and we've seen him get flat out abused on occasion, with the most infamous being the Superbowl against the Steelers. He was just a rookie then, but opposing teams still do go after him more than you'd expect.
Actually, as I was writing this one of the links I found was a piece Tommy Lawlor recently did on DRC. He seems to have a lot of the same thoughts as far as the negatives go, but is generally positive on the idea of swapping Kolb for him. Were it to happen, and again it's just speculation, he certainly would be an upgrade to what the Eagles have now and would be good value in return for Kolb. However, if the team is looking for a guy to make a long term commitment to as their starter at corner for years, I just wonder whether he is the right fit to play opposite Samuel.