Eagles' DeVonta Smith shares reaction to his new role after A.J. Brown trade

[ASFN Admin]

You must be registered for see images attach

Eagles' DeVonta Smith shares reaction to his new role after A.J. Brown trade originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Now that A.J. Brown is a member of the New England Patriots, DeVonta Smith is the clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver in the Philadelphia Eagles' offense.

Smith is typically a man of few words, and that approach didn't change when he discussed Brown's departure, or his new role in the wake of the trade.

"Business is business," Smith said about Philadelphia's decision to trade Brown to New England. "I don't have any say in that."

Things may look different, but one thing is for sure: Brown's departure isn't going to alter Smith's approach to the upcoming 2026 season.

"No, I'm going to do the same things I've been doing," Smith said.

More: A.J. Brown sends goodbye message to Eagles fans after trade to Patriots

Smith has always had the talent to be Philly's top receiving threat, but now he's going to assume that role on the scouting report for every opponent that the Eagles will face next season.

But, Smith isn't worried about labels. He thinks the Eagles have a talented group of receivers, even without Brown, and he plans to focus on doin his job to the best of his abilities.

"I think that when you have a room like the one we have, it brings the best out in everybody else. Everybody wants to compete. Everybody wants to be the best. We're all there to help each other," Smith said.

More: A.J. Brown gets brutally honest about relationship with Jalen Hurts

"But ultimately, we're all there to compete for the position … at the end of the day, it's all love. I'm just going out there and doing my job, regardless of whether you want to look at it as one, two, three, four."

For what it's worth, Smith's teammates are confident in the star receiver's ability to step up and fill the void left by Brown.

“He's always been a No. 1 receiver. Nothing has changed for Smitty. Smitty's always led from the front. So that narrative, we can shut that down now, because Smitty's always led from the front,” Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata said.

“Just because he never wore that captain's patch the last two years, didn't mean that he wasn't a captain in the locker room. But he always left from the front, and that's why I'm calling it now, when he wears that captain's patch this year, there's no surprise."

There will certainly be added defensive attention, but if Smith can prove up to the task, as he always has in the past, he could be in store for a monster 2026 season.

More Philadelphia Eagles news:

• Howie Roseman provides insight into Eagles' decision to trade A.J. Brown
• Vic Fangio sends clear message regarding his future with Philadelphia Eagles
• Dallas Cowboys legend shares high praise for Jalen Hurts
• New Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator has been extremely impressed with Jalen Hurts

Continue reading...