The Philadelphia Eagles made a couple of surprising trades right before the start of the 2016 season. One of the most beneficial trades to the team was acquiring wide receiver, Dorial Green-Beckham, from the Tennesse Titans in exchange for offensive lineman Dennis Kelly.
Green-Beckham gives Eagles rookie quarterback, Carson Wentz, a matchup advantage versus the Cleveland Browns tomorrow. Both of the Browns starting cornerbacks, Joe Haden and Jamar Taylor, are listed as 5’11, while Green-Beckham is listed as 6’5.
Beckham played against the Cleveland Browns last season as a member of the Titans and caught a 13-yard touchdown pass on Haden.
Nine days until DGB toasts you again pal @joehaden23. https://t.co/3PaCP1sg2D
— Conor (@SnipeMyles) September 2, 2016
That was Green-Beckham’s lone reception in the game, but as you see in the clip above, Green-Beckham’s height advantage was no match for Haden. Haden himself is coming off a forgettable season. He only played in five games last season, but gave up a 153.7 completion percentage in those games.
The Eagles depth chart has Green-Beckham listed behind Josh Huff as a starting receiver, but Green-Beckham told NJ.com’s reporter, Matt Lombardo, that won’t be the case on Sunday.
Ex-#Titans wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham says he expects to start for the #Eagles Sunday vs. the #Browns: https://t.co/TGPrwSnmty
— Matt Lombardo š (@MattLombardoNFL) September 8, 2016
The Eagles coaching staff hasn’t confirmed Green-Beckham’s expectations, but given the threat of him in the red zone and Wentz’s first start, it would make a lot of sense. Wentz has thrived with the end zone fade routes and Green-Beckham’s presence in the red zone alone gives the young quarterback a favorable option.
The Eagles are going to ease Wentz’s first start in the NFL by running the ball majority of the game. There will still be passing plays and having Green-Beckham on the field as a matchup advantage versus the Browns’ smaller corners will be a huge asset to the rookie quarterback.
Green-Beckham’s workload will be questionable as there’s still questions if he’s picked up the Eagles playbook in it’s entirety yet, but he’ll definitely be featured in his first regular season game with the Eagles. Make sure you tune in at 1 p.m. ET to catch the new era of Philadelphia Eagles football begin.
