Dorial Green-Beckham -- a second-round pick just two years ago -- is suddenly lacking an NFL team. On Friday, the Eagles cut Green-Beckham less than a year after they engineered a trade with the Titans to acquire him.
Which means Green-Beckham is seeking his third home before his third season in the NFL.
In two seasons, he's caught 68 passes for 941 yards and six touchdowns. He's also had his work ethic called into question. In August 2016 -- a week before the Titans traded him -- Titans coach Mike Mularky offered a pretty damning assessment of Green-Beckham's career, per ESPN:
"That's spending extra time when nobody is watching," Mularkey said. "That's doing things when nobody is watching. That's in the classroom. I think it's just putting the work in without being directed by anybody. Doing it yourself."
I asked if Mularkey was suggesting DGB is not doing those things.
"I would do it more," he said. "I mean he does do it. I would do it more."
So no, that's not an ideal start to an NFL career.
But hope remains. There are reasons why Green-Beckham was a second-round pick. For one, he's huge. At 6-foot-5, Green-Beckham has the size to be a dominant red-zone threat. Two, he flashed tremendous potential in college. During his final season at Missouri, he hauled in 12 touchdowns. Three, he's still just 24 years old. There might still be time to get something out of him.
So, don't be surprised when someone is willing to give Green-Beckham one more chance. He won't be signing any lucrative contracts, but he's likely to garner an invitation to training camp. He'll be a cheap, low-risk high-reward acquisition. Players like that have appeal, even if they likely won't ever end up being a high-impact performer.
You know what that means. It means we're going to rank the best potential landing spots for Green-Beckham, like we did for Jeremy Maclin and Eric Decker earlier this offseason.
Let's get to it. Here are the 15 best destinations for DGB ..
I know what you're thinking. The Panthers already have two tall, disappointing receivers of their own in Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess. Why add another?
Think of DGB as someone who can, at the very least, push Funchess. And if all goes well, maybe he could even supplement him.
Plus, DGB could be a good workout buddy for Benjamin, who arrived to OTAs overweight.
The Saints lost Brandin Cooks when they decided to hand him over to the Patriots. While Michael Thomas has clear WR1 potential, let's remember that DGB wouldn't be brought in to challenge Thomas. He'd be there to provide depth. Behind Thomas on the depth chart are: Ted Ginn Jr. (inconsistent), Willie Snead (also inconsistent) and Brandon Coleman (unproven).
The Saints need a more reliable supporting cast for Drew Brees if they're going to end their run of mediocrity. DGB certainly isn't reliable, but he features some upside. Most importantly, he's cheap. It wouldn't require much to invest in him. He's the kind of player who, if he winds up exceeding expectations, could push the Saints over the hump. And if he doesn't, well, it won't matter much because of his low cost.
A playoff-caliber team with an already potent offense might be the best fit for Green-Beckham. He wouldn't be expected to carry the load -- those duties already belong to Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, who form one of the best receiver duos in all of football. He'd only be expected to contribute sparingly. Maybe being around a winning team would help him.
Cooper and Crabtree might be lethal, but how much faith do the Raiders have in Seth Roberts and Cordarrelle Patterson behind them? Patterson's best contributions will come on special teams while Roberts finished last year as Pro Football Focus' 110th-highest graded receiver. Out of 119 eligible receivers.
The Redskins are by no means a postseason lock, but they already have a solid offense in place. They have their quarterback in Kirk Cousins. A committee of running backs in Rob Kelley, Chris Thompson and Samaje Perine. A top tight end in Jordan Reed. But after losing both DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon in free agency, a need at receiver exists.
Signing Terrelle Pryor to play alongside Josh Doctson was a nice first step, but why not take a chance on DGB? It can be argued that Cousins' success has been largely a product of his supporting cast. But his supporting cast got worse this offseason. The Redskins need to do all that they can to bolster it in any way possible to ensure Cousins doesn't experience a significant dropoff in production.
Similar to the Raiders, the Broncos are a playoff contender. Similar to the Raiders, the Broncos already have two top receivers in Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas. And similar to the Raiders, the Broncos could use another body to bolster depth behind their top two playmakers.
As it stands, the two receivers stacked behind Sanders and Thomas on the depth chart are Cody Latimer and Bennie Fowler.
DeAndre Hopkins can't do it all. Will Fuller already demonstrated his home-run hitting potential, but he's also incapable of consistently catching a football, a skill that is somewhat useful for receivers. Behind Fuller are Jaelen Strong and Braxton Miller -- two more unproven pass catchers with upside.
Why not add another to the mix?
The Lions should've signed Eric Decker or Jeremy Maclin. If they'd done so, they would've had Decker/Maclin stationed on one sideline, Marvin Jones on the other, and top slot man Golden Tate in the slot. But they didn't get either Decker or Maclin.
DGB is obviously not anywhere close to Decker or Maclin on the WR spectrum, but the Lions still need help at receiver. Luckily, DGB will be cheaper than both players.
In the middle of a rebuild, the Browns need good, young, and cheap players. DGB is young and cheap, but it remains to be seen if he's good. The Browns should find out.
I'm a pretty big fan of the Vikings' receivers. Adam Thielen shocked everyone last year with a 967-yard season. And Stefon Diggs added in 903 yards in 13 games. But, like most teams, they're lacking depth.
The Vikings could be a playoff contender in 2017 if they can stay healthy. That's why I like the idea of bringing in DGB for what is essentially a summer tryout.
The Chiefs cut Maclin because they couldn't afford him any longer, which means they're planning on using explosive playmaker Tyreek Hill a lot more as a receiver. Hill is amazing with the football in his hands, but getting it there can be a bit of a problem, namely because he isn't a polished receiver -- he's a returner.
The Chiefs need help at receiver for cheap. DGB is a receiver and he's cheap.
Like the Browns, the 49ers are rebuilding, which means they need cheap, young players with upside. Like the Browns, the 49ers don't have many good receivers on the roster (Pierre Garcon is their only one). That's why this makes sense as a landing spot. Take a chance. If it doesn't work out, cut him. The 49ers' rebuild might not get better due to DGB, but it won't be negatively impacted either.
The Ravens already signed Maclin, but that doesn't mean they should stop adding to their receiver group. After all, they were reportedly interested in signing Decker after they had already landed Maclin. Again, DGB isn't Decker, but he would still fit in Baltimore.
Evidenced by their pursuit of Maclin and Decker, the Ravens know their receiver group needs revamping. Joe Flacco isn't elite enough to carry the offense by himself.
The Jets cut Decker and Brandon Marshall this offseason. So, they're counting on guys like Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa, Chad Hansen, Chris Harper, Jalin Marshall, Marquess Wilson, etc. (you get the point) to catch passes from Josh McCown.
It's pretty amazing that there's a team out there that DGB could join and immediately be the second- or third-best receiver on the roster.
#ThatsSoJets
Sammy Watkins can't stay healthy, Robert Woods is gone, Zay Jones is a rookie, and Andre Holmes is the definition of meh. For as loud as critics of Tyrod Taylor are, critics of the Bills' receiver group should be even louder. The Bills are depending on someone who's appeared in 21 games the past two years and someone who's never played a down of football in the NFL.
DGB isn't dependable. No one will say that. But the Bills should be adding as many bodies as possible. Hopefully, one will emerge as a dependable playmaker to pair alongside Watkins when he's healthy.
Tavon Austin is not a WR1, even if he's paid like one. Robert Woods is fine in a complimentary role, but he's the second best receiver on the Rams. Cooper Kupp is a rookie, so not much should be expected of him. The point being, GET JARED GOFF SOME HELP!
Green-Beckham is cheap and would maybe be the third best receiver on the team. The Rams need to sign him and add him to their (bad) mix.