The Philadelphia Eagles traded for Dorial Green-Beckham. Is he the answer at wide receiver?
The Philadelphia Eagles love to make noise before the regular season starts and they have continued to do so on Tuesday. The Eagles twitter account announced that the Eagles have acquired wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for offensive lineman Dennis Kelly.
TRADE: #Eagles acquire WR Dorial Green-Beckham from Tennessee in exchange for G/T Dennis Kelly. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/XHDdcZ7PoO
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 16, 2016
The news game as of a surprise, mainly because there was no reports on talks for the deal. However, there was no surprise that the Eagles traded for a wide receiver, especially after their poor performance in the first preseason game.
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After their No. 1 pass-catcher Jordan Matthews, the Eagles really don’t have a clear-cut No. 2. 2015 first round pick Nelson Agholor had a terrible rookie season and hasn’t looked too great this offseason. Free agent Rueben Randle struggled mightily in the first preseason game. Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice broke down his terrible performance. Josh Huff and Chris Givens aren’t looking like they’ll make an impact in the passing game.
To be blunt, the Eagles wide receiver core (outside of Matthews) isn’t good. Hence why they went out and acquired a new body to compete at the position.
The big question is, will ‘DGB’ be the answer for the Eagles?
For starters, Green-Beckham was the No. 1 recruit coming out of high school in 2012, according to Rivals.com. He decided to go to Missouri to play his college football. He was the next big time, but he didn’t pan out. It wasn’t because of his on-field talent, but his off-field troubles.
Green-Beckham got arrested and suspended from the team, leading to being dismissed in 2014 (via Edward Aschoff of ESPN). His dismissal led him to Oklahoma. He sat out his first year and then spent time on the practice squad in year two. After his time at Oklahoma, he declared for the draft.
He showed that he is a freak of nature at the NFL Combine. Standing at 6’5″ and weighing in around 240 pounds, Green-Beckham ran a 4.49 official 40-yard dash. Scouts loved his athletic ability, though is off-field red flags pushed him down on draft boards.
The Tennessee Titans selected him in the second round (40th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Green-Beckham caught 32 passes for 527 yards and four touchdowns.
It comes as a big surprise that the Titans would move on so quickly from Green-Beckham. According to Ian Rapport of NFL Network, DGB just wasn’t a fit with the new Titans brass.
WR Dorial Green-Beckham was drafted by old #Titans leadership. There weren't issues with him in TEN, just wasn't a fit. Eagles think he is
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 16, 2016
The end of the tweet says, “Eagles think he is.” So, does he truly a fit?
Without even playing a down for the Birds (or even landing in Philadelphia), Green-Beckham is the Eagles second best wide receiver. So, yeah, he fits.
Agholor is showing that he shouldn’t have gone in the first round. He needs to start doing better this preseason or he may not get much playing time in 2016. Agholor benefits from the poor receiving room, though, mainly because no one should push him for the No. 3 wide receiver spot. With enough talent, Randle will be considered for the spot, but he doesn’t seem to want to win the job.
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Even with his talent, Green-Beckham isn’t a finished product. In 2016, he will need to adjust to a brand-new offense under Doug Pederson. He doesn’t have the full offseason like his new teammates did, so there will be a learning curve for him. The Eagles coaching staff needs to keep Green-Beckham in check. They need to make sure he has the right mentors on the team so he doesn’t mess up.
People feel that Green-Beckham will have an instant impact for the Eagles, and he may. I just believe that 2016 will be a progression season for the second-year pro. The Birds need to take his hopeful improvement seriously because if they can squeeze the most out of him, they may hit the jackpot. On the flip side, the Eagles could have traded for a player who doesn’t buy in and miss big on him.
Carson Wentz will be the Eagles starting quarterback in 2017. They traded up for him and have invested too much for that not to be the case. As of now, in 2017, Wentz will have some solid young targets to throw to. Matthews (24) will be his top wide receiver, Zach Ertz (25) will be his top tight end and if Green-Beckham (23) pans out, he will be the other wide receiver.
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So, while many are excited for Green-Beckham in 2016, remember that the future will be bright in Philly if he progresses. He may not be great in 2016, but that is okay. Philadelphia needs him to get better and make sure that turns out to be a top pass-catcher for them when Wentz takes the wheel.
Also think, if DGB pans out, the Eagles can address their holes at cornerback and offensive line early in the 2017 NFL Draft. It would take pressure off of the need at wide receiver, so it helps in more ways than one.
Will Green-Beckham be the answer for the Eagles? Maybe not in 2016, but look for him to have a huge impact down the road.