Aug 25, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (24) warms up before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
If there’s one thing head coach John Fox loves (and Jack Del Rio, for that matter), it’s a truck load of defensive backs. The San Francisco 49ers have one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the NFL, and after half of a season, it was apparently decided they could no longer keep a spot for veteran cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who was waived on Monday.
Asomugha was, in a former life, considered the best cornerback in the NFL, or at least he was in the discussion. After signing a mega-deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, Asomugha was a huge bust as a free agent and wound up a cap casualty, hitting free agency this past offseason.
One of the teams to show the most significant interest in Asomugha before he signed in San Francisco was the Denver Broncos, who signed Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie very early on in the free agent process.
With DRC signed on, there wasn’t a lot of room for Asomugha to sign with the Broncos, who later signed Quintin Jammer as a cheaper alternative.
Asomugha is coming on the cheap, and will have to either make it through waivers or the Broncos would have to put in a claim on him, but there was obviously a lot of interest this past offseason. My friend Brandon Spano, who covers the Broncos in Denver, told me that it was much more than just general interest in Asomugha, that the Broncos were ready to pull the trigger on bringing him in before DRC signed.
It will be interesting to see if the Broncos make a move here, because Asomugha has talent and obviously just hasn’t been able to get into a situation where he can excel. With Champ Bailey getting healthy, it seems like an unlikely move, but at his price, maybe Asomugha can provide some depth for the secondary in some way, shape, or form.