Dorial Green-Beckham came into the NFL last season as a player who was viewed as one of the most talented wideouts in his class despite off the field problems that kept him off the field in college. Forcing Beckham into the second round where the Tennessee Titans were viewed as getting a value pick when they selected the talented, yet troubled receiver to pair with quarterback Marcus Mariota in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Beckham’s rookie season showed glimpses of his potential as he led the Titans in receiving yards, but still fell somewhat short of the expectations many had for Beckham as a playmaker. Finishing with a respectable, but unspectacular 549 yards and four touchdowns on just 32 catches. Numbers that were similar to the top rookies in the 2015 class, but were far from star numbers from a player who was once viewed as a potential superstar during the height of his collegiate career at Mizzou.
It appears that the Titans were extremely disappointed with the return they got from Beckham in his lone season with the team as they surprisingly shipped him out of town on Monday. Sending the 2015 second-rounder to Philadelphia in a deal that will see the young playmaker in Beckham sent to the Eagles in exchange for a depth offensive lineman, raising eyebrows as the Titans were extremely eager to give up DGB when offered offensive line help.
In exchange for Beckham, the Eagles had to give up veteran backup offensive lineman Dennis Kelly. A 2012 fifth round pick who has only started in 15 games for Philadelphia since coming into the league. Splitting time at tackle and both guard positions as a true depth offensive lineman who could never quite earn a starting role with the Eagles.
The fact that the Titans were so eager to send Beckham out of town for a player with far less upside raises a red flag surrounding how things went between the Tennessee coaching staff and Beckham behind the scenes. If the Titans were willing to give up on a second-round pick after a productive rookie season, there could be an underlying reason as it doesn’t make much sense for Tennessee to ship out Beckham for a potential backup offensive lineman even after bringing in veteran wideout Andre Johnson into the fold this summer.
However, if no red flags exist and the Titans were simply unhappy with Beckham’s production, this trade could be a real steal for the Eagles as they look to rebuild in the post-Chip Kelly era at Lincoln Financial Field. Getting a still talented, 23-year-old receiver in exchange for a lineman they had little plans for giving the Eagles the opportunity to play with house money as nobody in Philadelphia will miss Dennis Kelly while Beckham could grow into a potential top target down the line as the team looks to get younger as they retool this season.
While Beckham’s 2015 numbers were middling, they were still encouraging as he was still the Titans receiving yardage leader and had four touchdowns. Giving the Eagles the hope that there is room to grow for Beckham after playing his first full season following his problems with the NCAA before entering the NFL Draft. The hope for the Eagles being that Beckham builds on a respectable 549-yard season and turns into a consistent option in the passing attack right away.
It will be interesting to see if Beckham can increase his numbers going to Philly where there is currently an unknown quarterback situation. Chase Daniel and Sam Bradford likely to battle out for the starting quarterback position with first round pick Carson Wentz waiting in the wings. If Beckham can find chemistry with whoever starts under center for the Eagles in 2016, the Philadelphia passing attack could be potent in the first year following the Chip Kelly days in Philly. Making this a smart move for the Eagles, who have helped their group of quarterbacks out by bringing in another talented target to increase their options this season.
Nobody knows if Beckham will ever live up to his expectations he built during the early days of his career at Mizzou, but it is clear that the Eagles have a chance at a potential steal if Beckham ever does live up to the hype. Giving up a depth offensive lineman to get a player who can be a potential star is the type of risk the new Eagles regime needs to make to get back near the top of the NFC East, if the Beckham trade can turn into a steal there is a chance that Philadelphia can be better than expected in 2016 with a serious upgrade at wideout.
