PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 14: DeVonta Smith #6 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates after scoring a 63-yard receiving touchdown during the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field on September 14, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
With how great AJ Brown is, Devonta Smith, a tremendous WR in his own right, flies a little under the radar. Despite being 2nd on the team in targets, he still put up 2,262 yards and 14 TDs over the last two seasons. Not many WR2s put up stats like that. He would be the best WR on most teams around the league.
(Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
Will Devonta Smith Be Even Better This Season?
The Eagles WR1, AJ Brown, has only praise for his fellow WR. Which is not surprising, the two Eagles WRs have always been supportive of each other, even if coexisting means they each might get fewer targets than the average WR1.
Brown was asked about how Smith looked before the Eagles Open Practice and had glowing praise for Smith.
“Nobody has been able to cover Devonta in camp.. I am expecting Smitty to take another jump. He definitely has all the tools. Sitting on the side watching him, I know how hard he works.”
(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Could we see an even better Devonta Smith this season? With a new offense, its certainly possible he has his best season yet. Even with another star to share the ball with, Saquon Barkley, the Kellen Moore offense could open things up for him.
The Eagles had great WRs last year, but in terms of average separation, they were need the bottom of the league. That speaks to the scheme. They didn’t use motion, and didn’t scheme people open at all. It all relied on the Eagles receivers winning their matchups. Smith and Brown did that a lot, but it was rare they were running wide open like we see other top WRs do.
That may now happen. Kellen Moore is using a lot of motion, the same way he did in Dallas and in LA. They will also use short routes over the middle more. All of that should make things easier on both Brown and Smith.
Nick Sirianni also spoke before Open Practice, and shared a similar sentiment about Smith that Brown did.
“He looks super quick in and out of breaks. He works so hard about how to get in and out of breaks, because that’s where the game is won… He catches everything, right?.. The major requirement for the position is catch the football, right, and he does that at an extremely high level… He’s had really nice camp and he’s just going to continue to get better.”
The Eagles locked Smith up long-term this past offseason, along with AJ Brown. So 1 thing we know for a fact, is the Eagles are going to have an elite WR room for years to come. Something that is very unusual given how long the Eagles were thin at that position.
But there may still be untapped potential to Devonta Smith’s game. His stats say he is already a great WR, but his production the last two seasons might not be his ceiling. His teammates and coaches certainly think there is another level to his game. And even while sharing targets with another elite WR, we might see him put up his best season yet in 2024.
Dylan MacKinnon is The Digital Content Coordinator For 97.5 The Fanatic. he has been an Eagles, Flyers, Sixers, and Flyers fan his whole life. He graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelors in Journalism. Dylan has worked at the Fanatic since 2016, starting as an Intern, moving to the Street team, and eventually was hired as an Associate Producer before settling into his current role in the Digital Department. You may hear him referred to on-air as "The D-Train."
Sign me up for the 97.5 The Fanatic email newsletter!
Become a Fanatic MVP to get the latest info on the Philly Sports landscape, plus access to exclusive content and member-only contests.
By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.
