After opening up the preseason buried on the Titans depth chart, 2015 second-round pick Dorial Green-Beckhamhas been traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for offensive lineman Dennis Kelly. Considering DGB was a draft pick from the previous Titans regime, and had been leapfrogged on the depth chart by rookie Tajae Sharpe, it makes sense that the Titans would want to cut bait on the frustrating but talented former Missouri receiver.
This move works out well for DGB, as he now gets a chance for a career reclamation on a team that actually (so it seems) wants him. The Eagles wide receiving corps is a bit of a mess right now: Jordan Matthews is out two to four weeks with a bone bruise, Nelson Agholor will start by default and hasn't impressed, and Rueben Randle is, well, Rueben Randle. Now, it's not like Green-Beckham is in any sort of shape to come in and be a wide receiver savior. He will, however, be able to compete for starting reps as the No. 2 or No. 3, and if he seizes this opportunity he could be relevant in fantasy. Of course, we need to remember that a team with no clear leader at wide receiver just parted ways with a physical specimen like DGB for a guard who has only played in 30 games since being drafted in the fifth-round in 2012. That could be a bad sign, or it could be further proof that the new regime in Tennessee had zero patience for the previous group's long-term, often frustrating projects. I don't know that DGB will have an immediate impact in Philadelphia, but I'm not giving up on him yet either. He is a freakish athlete who just turned 23. Plenty of players have gone through hiccups early in their careers and turned things around. It'll just be up to Dorial Green-Beckham which path he ultimately follows. He was a late-round flier in drafts while in Tennessee, and will keep that same value in Philadelphia. He's a total question mark, but one with tantalizing potential if he puts it all together.
Back in Tennessee, DGB's departure clears up the pass-catching picture significantly. It now looks like the starting wide receivers will be Rishard Matthews and Tajae Sharpe, with Kendall Wright in the slot. Given the drumbeat building around Sharpe all offseason, he could be a rookie worth paying attention to late in fantasy drafts. As the head coach in Jacksonville in 2012, Mike Mularkey's top two wide receivers (Justin Blackmon, Cecil Shorts) combined to see 40.8 percent of the passing targets. While the Titan's exotic smashmouth attack figures to be run-heavy, if either Sharpe or Matthews falls into 120 targets (a distinct possibility) they could push for a top-24 fantasy finish, per Matt Harmon's savvy research. Now, we still don't know who will be the No. 1 wideout or receive the majority of the targets, but Matthews and Sharpe become intriguing fliers to take in the double digit rounds of fantasy drafts.
All told, while it's unclear which team will benefit the most from this trade, at the very least fantasy owners gained some much-needed clarity at two frustrating position groups.
-- Follow Alex on Twitter @AlexGelhar
