He was the best wide receiver on the Tennessee Titans roster at the end off the 2015 season so it only makes sense they would trade Dorial Green-Beckham the first chance they got. Right? Right??
Green-Beckham started five games for the Titans last season and played in all 16, catching 32 passes for 549 yards and four touchdowns. That’s 17.2 yards per reception. I’m no math wizard, but that’s pretty good.
Philly here I come! Much love to all my teammates, coaches and fans in Nashville. Thanks for everything. #BirdGang
— Dorial Green-Beckham (@realdgb) August 16, 2016
Sure, as a rookie DGB would sometimes run the wrong routes or screw up a play. He might even drop a pass here or there, but this was a guy that hadn’t played football since 2013. He sat out all of 2014 with eligibility issues at Oklahoma after transferring from Missouri.
But the Titans took Green-Beckham with their second round pick and, make no mistake, it was a steal. If DGB had played in 2015, especially for Oklahoma, he would have been a first round pick. Nabbing him in the second after picking their franchise quarterback, Marcus Mariota, in the first was a coup. A coup they flushed down the toilet this week.
What did the Titans get for DGB? How about a back up offensive lineman? Dennis Kelly, a 2012 fifth round pick out of Purdue who started all of five games over the last two seasons. Titans GM Jon Robinson better not take up poker.
So why move on from Green-Beckham so fast? It’s obvious the Titans “braintrust” felt there might be some disciplinary issues down the road with DGB, but they knew that when they drafted him. He was busted with marijuana three times while at Mizzou and it’s finally what got him kicked off the team. But that’s the worst of it. Pot. Something the NFL has no business testing for anyway.
Sam?
Chase?
Carson?They'll all sign off on Dorial Green-Beckham joining the @Eagles. Because he can do THIS. 👀 https://t.co/61YcpbL3r7
— NFL (@NFL) August 16, 2016
Has DGB failed a drug test? No one is saying, but you’d think a failed test would keep the Eagles from being so eager to make the deal. No, this looks more and more like a talented player that head coach Mike Mularkey didn’t want to deal with. But you know what, Mike? That’s your job. Some players need a buddy as a coach. Some players need a dad. DGB probably needs a dad and you’re obviously not man enough for the job. Which really means you’re not cut out to be an NFL head coach… or head coach at any level. But we already knew that.
“We didn’t give up (on DGB),” Mularkey said, lying. “We think this is a good opportunity for DGB to go in there and compete. When you do that, it’s not giving up on somebody. It’s making a rational decision that you think is best for your team. We need offensive line depth and we are comfortable, very comfortable, with our receiver position with some of the additions we’ve made. I think it’s good for both sides.”
The back corner of the end zone?
It belongs to Dorial Green-Beckham.And now he's joining the @Eagles. 🏈💪 https://t.co/1kRj9T9ywA
— NFL (@NFL) August 16, 2016
First up, let’s see what those receiver additions are for the Titans. who were, as a group, the least productive in the NFL in 2015. They added Andre Johnson, which is fine, but he’s nothing more than a glorified slot possession receiver at this point. They brought in former Dolphins wideout Rishard Matthews who had a career year last year with 43 catches, 662 yards and four touchdowns. They drafted Taje Sharpe out of UMass and brought in UDFA Reece Horne out of Indianapolis. That’s who they’ve added to what was already the worst receiver group in the NFL.
.@Titans WR Rishard Matthews is guy to draft in Tennessee.
That spot is wide-open for him now without Dorial Green-Beckham.
— Adam Rank (@adamrank) August 16, 2016
The deal is unquestionably good for the Eagles, who now have three potential elite-level wide receivers on the roster, all with less than three years of wear and tear on them. Jordan Matthews, who is already there, plays along side 2015 first-round pick Nelson Agholor and now DGB. They added Rueben Randle in free agency from the Giants and added a few rookie projects of their own in Marcus Johnson out of Texas, Cayleb Jones from Arizona, Xavier Rush from Utah, Hunter sharp from Utah State, David Watford from Hampton and Paul Turner form Louisiana Tech.
The Eagles now have four starters with a handful of young guys competing for roster and practice squad spots. You could argue that the Titans don’t have a single starter on the roster at all.
