After catching the game-winning touchdown in last night's wild card game, the question has come up whether the trade for Golden Tate at this year's trade deadline was worth it. My answer? Nope. Not quite yet.
Here’s why: Golden Tate still only saw his second-most snaps in a single game after joining the Eagles mid-season. Doug Pederson and company have continued to struggle in figuring out how to use the receiver. His skill set isn’t limited by any means, but for some reason, the coaching staff just can’t find a deeper role for Tate.
For someone to ask if a third-round pick was worth it because Tate made a late-game catch to propel the offense and ultimately the game-winning catch in the final minutes is a bit excessive.
Yes, the catches were crucial. Have we seen Nelson Agholor make those plays before though? Yep. Two big catches from an aging (but still very good and still in his prime) receiver doesn’t exactly justify the potential future production of a third-round pick, yet.
Tate will still have his opportunities to prove he was more than worth the 10 (hopefully 12 if the Eagles continue to advance throughout playoffs) game rental. Two catches that someone else on the roster definitely could’ve made still don’t equal the production value the front office thought they’d receive. Still, Golden Tate finally showed up when it counted.
