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PHILADELPHIA − You won't see DeVonta Smith yelling on the sidelines, or reading a book during a game, or calling out his teammates and coaches like A.J. Brown did.
But don't take that for ambivalence. Smith has always let his play on the field do his talking. That's not about to change now that Brown has been traded to the New England Patriots, leaving Smith as the Eagles' clear cut No. 1 wide receiver.
Brown might have been the more vociferous of the Eagles' receiving duo. That doesn't mean Smith didn't get his point across ... when necessary.
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"That narrative, we can shut that down now, because Smitty has always led from the front," Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata said. "Just because he never wore that captain’s patch the last two years doesn’t mean he wasn’t a captain in the locker room. He always led from the front … on and off the field."
That leadership will be tested this season. Smith is entering his sixth season, with three seasons of at least 1,000 yards receiving in his previous five. But for the first time since his rookie year in 2021, Smith doesn't have Brown to take the pressure off him.
That makes Smith No. 4 on our list of the eight most intriguing Eagles' players heading into the start of training camp on July 28.
Is this new-found responsibility affecting Smith?
"I’m just going out there to do my job, regardless of however you want to look at it − (WR) 1, 2, 3, 4, however you want to look at it," Smith said. "Then we all have jobs we have to go out there and do."
Does anything change in his approach to the season?
"Nah, I’m going to do the same thing I’ve been doing," Smith said.
For the Eagles, that could look any number of ways. Instead of having two No. 1 receivers in Smith and Brown like they did over the past four seasons, the Eagles added to their overall depth. They drafted Makai Lemon in the first round. They traded for Dontayvion Wicks. And they signed veteran free agents in Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore. They also have Darius Cooper and Johnny Wilson coming back.
But Smith is the linchpin, not just because of his experience in the offense, but because of his experience with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The two go back to college at Alabama, where each won two national championships. They have been teammates with the Eagles for five seasons where they have gone to two Super Bowls, winning one.
That familiarity means something.
"It carries over," Hurts said. "I’ve played with Smitty since I was 17, 18 years old, so that’s something to consider when you think of our chemistry and the foundation of where we come from. So, I think having his presence has always been very valuable. I’ve always appreciated that.
"And I think as he leads, and as I lead, it’s just about putting those things together and continue to improve given all the change that we have in front of us.”
Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Sign up for the "Eye On The Eagles" newsletter, emailed to your inbox every Friday morning. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Can DeVonta Smith replace A.J. Brown? Eagles No. 4 most intriguing
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But don't take that for ambivalence. Smith has always let his play on the field do his talking. That's not about to change now that Brown has been traded to the New England Patriots, leaving Smith as the Eagles' clear cut No. 1 wide receiver.
Brown might have been the more vociferous of the Eagles' receiving duo. That doesn't mean Smith didn't get his point across ... when necessary.
Buy Philadelphia Eagles tickets
"That narrative, we can shut that down now, because Smitty has always led from the front," Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata said. "Just because he never wore that captain’s patch the last two years doesn’t mean he wasn’t a captain in the locker room. He always led from the front … on and off the field."
That leadership will be tested this season. Smith is entering his sixth season, with three seasons of at least 1,000 yards receiving in his previous five. But for the first time since his rookie year in 2021, Smith doesn't have Brown to take the pressure off him.
That makes Smith No. 4 on our list of the eight most intriguing Eagles' players heading into the start of training camp on July 28.
Is this new-found responsibility affecting Smith?
"I’m just going out there to do my job, regardless of however you want to look at it − (WR) 1, 2, 3, 4, however you want to look at it," Smith said. "Then we all have jobs we have to go out there and do."
Does anything change in his approach to the season?
"Nah, I’m going to do the same thing I’ve been doing," Smith said.
For the Eagles, that could look any number of ways. Instead of having two No. 1 receivers in Smith and Brown like they did over the past four seasons, the Eagles added to their overall depth. They drafted Makai Lemon in the first round. They traded for Dontayvion Wicks. And they signed veteran free agents in Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore. They also have Darius Cooper and Johnny Wilson coming back.
But Smith is the linchpin, not just because of his experience in the offense, but because of his experience with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The two go back to college at Alabama, where each won two national championships. They have been teammates with the Eagles for five seasons where they have gone to two Super Bowls, winning one.
That familiarity means something.
"It carries over," Hurts said. "I’ve played with Smitty since I was 17, 18 years old, so that’s something to consider when you think of our chemistry and the foundation of where we come from. So, I think having his presence has always been very valuable. I’ve always appreciated that.
"And I think as he leads, and as I lead, it’s just about putting those things together and continue to improve given all the change that we have in front of us.”
Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Sign up for the "Eye On The Eagles" newsletter, emailed to your inbox every Friday morning. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Can DeVonta Smith replace A.J. Brown? Eagles No. 4 most intriguing
Continue reading...
