Philadelphia's wild offseason continues.
The Eagles acquired former Titans second-round pick Dorial Green-Beckham via trade Tuesday, both teams announced. The cost? 2012 fifth-round pick Dennis Kelly, a swing guard tackle who started two games for the Eagles a year ago. Kelly should add depth and competition to a budding bully of an offensive line in Nashville.
The deal seemingly came out of nowhere, though the tea leaves would suggest Eagles coach Doug Pederson was desperate to find more wideouts who fit his system -- and the Titans were looking for the right chance to bail on the Green-Beckham experiment. As NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport noted, Philadelphia was hot on the trail of free agent Anquan Boldin before losing him to the Detroit Lions. Green-Beckham, a mercurial but incredibly talented second-year receiver, turned out to be an intriguing backup plan for the right price.
"Not to speak on Philly's behalf but they inquired about it," Titans general manager Jon Robinson said. "They thought it was a good opportunity for him, and we thought adding Dennis would be good for our football team. We are moving on. I appreciate everything Dorial did when he was here. He bought in to what we were trying to do. But in the end we felt like this was the best decision for the team."
Howie Roseman, Eagles vice president of football operations, hopes Green-Beckham will make the most of his opportunity with the team.
"It's been very public, his coach's comments about him and that he needs to get more consistent," Roseman said. "So, we're going into it with our eyes open about that. ... Incredibly talented guy, but he's got to make the most of this opportunity."
The push for wide receiver talent was exacerbated by a less-than-encouraging preseason opener. The team had hoped that former Giants second-round pick Rueben Randle would finally hit his stride as an Eagle, but there were few indications of a turnaround against Tampa Bay. At the moment, Jordan Matthews was the only reliable set of hands on the roster and he's currently sidelined with a knee injury. Nelson Agholor, the team's 2015 first-round pick, still has a long way to go.
The move is not without risk for the Eagles. According to NFL Media's Mike Garafolo, the Titans had issues with Green-Beckham's focus and dedication. Coach Mike Mularkey had a front row seat to some off Green-Beckham's finest moments during that rookie season, but also witnessed enough mental errors to pull the plug.
Green-Beckham finished 2015 with 32 catches for 549 yards and four touchdowns a year ago.
