1. Dorial Green-Beckham has the potential to be special.
That isn't overstating it at all. At 6-foot-5, 237 pounds with 4.49 speed, Green-Beckham could be a matchup nightmare, particularly downfield and in the red zone. There was evidence of game-changing ability last season with the Titans, where he hauled in 32 passes for 549 yards — an outstanding 17.2 average — and four touchdowns in 16 games, but only five starts as a rookie. As DGB's playing time increased, his numbers improved, with a pair of 100-yard games and two scores over the final five weeks.
The best part is he's only 23 years old. True, he needs to get stronger and focus on running better routes. There are concerns about his work ethic. He's a raw prospect overall, playing just two seasons at Missouri before declaring for the NFL. Seeing as he is so young though, there's still a lot of time for DGB to mature and develop. If he capitalizes on his opportunity, he could become a perennial 1,000-yard receiver for the Eagles for the better part of a decade.
2. But there's a reason the Titans gave up on him.
It's impossible to overlook the fact that another team traded and essentially gave up on a 2015 second-round draft pick after just one season for Dennis Kelly. Nothing against Kelly, who's looked adequate at best in 15 career NFL starts, but he's a backup offensive tackle. DGB is a possible Pro Bowl talent.
Green-Beckham's troubles aren't exactly a secret. Multiple marijuana-related arrests, while a silly crime, suggests future run-ins with the NFL's drug policy are a potential hang-up — he's compared to Browns wideout Josh Gordon in one scouting report. There was also an alleged role in a burglary in which DGB was accused of pushing a woman down a set of stairs, and while no charges were filed, it was enough to get him kicked off the football team at the University of Missouri. That sort of incident is not minor, and again could get him into trouble with the league, or outright released by the Eagles.
None of which even speaks to questions of DGB's work ethic or how he fits in the locker room, things only the Titans are truly privy to. There probably wasn't any one thing that led to his being ushered out of town, but the fact that he was traded at all is a red flag in itself.
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3. Nelson Agholor is failing to make a push.
I've been critical of Agholor's development during camp, ranking him fourth on my wide receivers power rankings and writing his stock was down after he was a non-factor in the preseason opener, and I certainly wasn't alone. It's clear the coaching staff isn't blown away with last year's first-round pick either, or the Eagles probably wouldn't have felt the need to look for help in the first place.
While it might be too soon to label Agholor a bust, he is just about out of excuses. A high ankle sprain may have been partially to blame for an uninspiring 23-catch, 283-yard season in 2015, and to be fair, rookie wide receivers don't always set the world on fire. He didn't have much of an opportunity to gain a rapport with Sam Bradford last season either with the quarterback being limited during training camp and preseason. But what's the story in year two? It almost feels as though Agholor isn't even part of the offense. He too is only 23, so don't write him off completely, but expectations are not going to be high for this season.
4. Rueben Randle a goner?
That seems to be the buzz among some reporters anyway. Coaches haven't exactly given the veteran wideout glowing endorsements in recent days, and for as many great catches as I've seen Randle make this summer, he seems to follow them up with plenty of drops or lackadaisical moments. This is in line with criticisms of the former second-round pick after four years in New York, which led to the Giants opting not to re-sign him despite several productive seasons.
The Eagles could release Randle at relatively little cost, so it isn't unlikely. Then again, that might not be wise. While he's made his share of bonehead mistakes, he's simultaneously looked like the second best receiver at camp behind only Jordan Matthews. Not yet knowing how Green-Beckham will fit in would make most GMs a little hesitant to dump somebody with Randle's ability. Of course, his ability has never been the problem, so take any praise for what it's worth.
5. Let's not ignore Dennis Kelly and the situation at right tackle here.
Okay, so DGB represents a low-risk/high-reward solution at wide receiver and shakes up a depth chart that's thin and low on high-end talent. The question is will it be worth potentially weakening the depth along the offensive line?
For the time being, it's easy to say yes. That's because Jason Peters is healthy and Allen Barbre can fill in at right tackle while Lane Johnson is serving what looks like will be a 10-game suspension. However, should Peters or Barbre get hurt, suddenly the options at tackle get a little scary. That would mean Matt Tobin or fifth-round rookie Halapoulivaati Vaitai are in the game, neither of which instill a ton of confidence. Kelly isn't exactly a wall either, but he acquitted himself well in two starts last season and without a doubt represented the Eagles' best option coming off the bench.
Now Kelly is gone, and while DGB has undeniable ability and is a great prospect for a maligned receiving corps, there's no guarantee he's a significant upgrade. The trade certainly has a chance to, maybe not blow up in the Eagles' faces, because Kelly isn't that important, but create some immediate short-term problems if just one more thing goes wrong on that O-line, as it always seems to do. That's not to say they shouldn't have struck this deal — it seems obvious — but there is at least a chance it works out poorly.
