Green-Beckham, Treggs now face uphill battles to make Eagles in 2017

By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor

When the Philadelphia Eagles signed Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith Thursday, it may have signaled the end of the tenures of Dorial Green-Beckham and Bryce Treggs with the team. 

Green-Beckham, who the team acquired last preseason, had 36 catches for 392 yards in his first season with the team. Despite the fact that the 23-year-old is 6'5, he demonstrated little-to-no ability to use his body to his advantage, in addition to extremely poor route-running. Treggs had just three catches for 80 yards in nine games and was seemingly only capable of running go routes. 

What's sad is that Green-Beckham probably could benefit quite a bit from playing with Jeffery, who is one of the league's most phyiscally dominant receivers. It's unclear how high Treggs' upside really is — he was undrafted — but his speed is undeniable. Smith has regressed in previous years, but was once one of the game's most explosive deep threats, something that could positively rub off on Treggs.

A numbers crunch may very well keep both Green-Beckham and Treggs from getting to play (or practice) with Jeffery and Smith past the preseason.

Jordan Matthews, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract, probably isn't a lock to return. The Eagles could negotiate an extension with him, but knowing that Jeffery has a chance to be a free-agent next year, 2017 may be the final season of Jason Peters' career and that they still have holes defensively, the team may envision themselves allocating that money elsewhere. They could retain Matthews and allow things to play out, but certainly the idea of trading him around or at the NFL Draft exists. 

For all of his faults, Nelson Agholor is a near lock to be an Eagle in 2017. The Eagles would face more than $4.5 million in dead cap if they released him, and after his disastrous sophomore season, there probably wouldn't be much trade interest in him. There still seems to be some hope on Agholor, who through all his faults remained very professional during what was certainly a miserable second year for him. He gets open a ton and has a burst, so perhaps with more talent around him and reduced pressure, he will flourish to some degree in 2017. That degree wouldn't even  necessarily have to be his first-round pick potential, but just a serviceable third or fourth receiver. 

The NFL Draft also still hasn't taken place. Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams is still probably a potential target for the Eagles with the No. 14 pick, and even if the Eagles don't take a wide receiver in the first round, there's a good chance that the Eagles will take at least one receiver in the first four rounds of the NFL Draft. That person(s) would be guaranteed a roster spot. 

Perhaps the Eagles could keep six receivers, but they would be more likely to do that with a sixth receiver that was a special teams star, which doesn't apply to Green-Beckham or Treggs. 

In reality, it's fair to expect they won't have six receivers on the 53-man roster. It remains to be seen how many running-backs the team will have, Darren Sproles and Wendell Smallwood seem like locks, but the team did carry four on the 53-man roster for the past two seasons. It's entirely possible that happens again, especially if the team doesn't take Dalvin Cook or another running back early in the NFL Draft. Barring a trade, the team will carry three tight-ends, with Zach Ertz, Trey Burton and Brent Celek. 

Green-Beckham isn't eligible for the team's practice squad, nor would he make it there because he would be claimed on waivers first. The numbers crunch is less of an issue for him than it is for Treggs, but it still could mean that he would be playing for a third NFL team in his third NFL season. Treggs is eligible to return to the practice squad, but the Eagles would again have to attempt to slip him through waivers. It's possible that they are able to do that, but not a lock that they will dedicate one of their 10 practice squad spots to a player like Treggs, as opposed to someone like Paul Turner, a future draft pick or another player not currently in the organization. 

Both were linked in a  January report from Geoff Mosher of 4 Philly Sports, which suggested that they focused more on partying and enjoying being celebrities than improving as players. That alone probably wouldn't keep them from making the team — or the practice squad in Treggs' case — but it could be the nail in their respective coffins if they end up on the fringe. 

Again, things can change. Perhaps the team does trade Matthews. Maybe they think highly enough of Green-Beckham physically that they will keep him on the roster as a sixth receiver, especially if they know that Agholor is certain to give any production. But as things stand today, there's a very real possibility that neither Green-Beckham or Treggs will play another regular season game with the Eagles. 

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