Golden Tate finally scores his first Eagles touchdown

The Eagles traded for Golden Tate during the bye week, but it wasn’t until his fourth game with the team that he made it into the endzone. Tate secured his first score for Philadelphia on Monday night against Washington, and it came at the end of the first drive of the game off a six-yard pass from Carson Wentz.

The Eagles got off to a hot start, and despite some fumble scares, were able to march downfield to put the first points on the board. Tate helped extend the drive when Wentz improvised for a 19 yard gain.

Tate was used early in his first game with the Eagles against Dallas, but as the team fell behind, they went to an uptempo offense and their new weapon wasn’t as involved — being new to their code words, etc... — but he did return punts for some special teams snaps.

In his first three games as an Eagle, he’s been used in a smattering of packages, and in a few trick plays, but hasn’t had that break out moment people were hoping to see. He was 11-of-20 for 97 yards heading into Monday night’s game against Washington.

It wasn’t like Tate was expected to jump in and save the struggling offense in his first game with Philadelphia, but to wait so long for his first score as an Eagle was a sign of a problem. That problem wasn’t entirely Tate, but rather how he fit into the team’s scheme compared to those already on the roster.

BGN’s Dave Mangel’s analyzed the data and explained why Tate’s addition hasn’t helped the Eagles’ offense improve:

“The injuries to Mack Hollins and Mike Wallace left the Eagles short on outside receivers, and lacking a deep threat. They were well stocked on pass catchers who best operate in the middle of the field in Ertz, Agholor, Matthews, and Goedert. With the addition of Tate, they doubled down. In his three games with the Eagles, Tate has played 80% of his snaps in the slot, per PFF.”

Offensive coordinator Mike Groh had mentioned that it was “challenging” to integrate Tate into the offense, but the receiver has been doing everything he can to build chemistry with his teammates — including having Thanksgiving with quarterback Carson Wentz and his wife, and spending time off the field to build that much-needed rapport.

And while there was a delay in him getting his first touchdown as an Eagle, Tate’s wasted no time embracing his new city and fans.

Before joining the Eagles, Tate played in seven games, catching 44-of-69 targets for 517 yards and three touchdowns, not to mention 23 first downs while averaging 11.8 yards per catch.

Welcome (officially) to Philadelphia, Golden Tate!