Now out of A.J. Brown’s shadow, is DeVonta Smith ready for his close-up? ‘The guy was built to do this’
Smith is now WR1 at a critical time for the Eagles offense.
DeVonta Smith steps onto the field, a white Gatorade towel wrapped around his head and his practice jersey draped over a black long-sleeve shirt. He flashes a determined look as he holds a play sheet in his left hand and a coach’s headset in his right.
Nothing was going to stop Smith — who was sidelined with a hamstring injury — from staying involved during the dog days of training camp.
He knows this season is different. He knows his mindset needs to reflect that.
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For the first time since his rookie season, Smith is a No. 1 wide receiver. He excelled in that role in college and had a record-breaking first season — his 916 yards set the Eagles rookie record for most receiving yards — but he’s lived in the shadow of A.J. Brown for the last four years. The Eagles traded Brown to the New England Patriots in June, which immediately placed Smith back atop the depth chart again.
Is he ready for his close-up?
“The guy was built to do this,” said James Madison coach Billy Napier, who recruited Smith when Napier was the wide receivers coach at Alabama. “DeVonta, he’s not motivated by normal things. This guy’s in a pursuit to be the best that’s ever done it. …
“Eagles fans are going to have fun watching Smitty in this role, I can promise you that.”
He has the backing of his current teammates and coaches, too. Smith never led the Eagles in receiving yards when Brown was on the team, but he’s eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in three of his last four seasons and is the all-time franchise leader in postseason receiving yards with 665.
Jordan Mailata put it best when asked about Smith, whom the Eagles took with the 10th pick in the first round of the 2021 draft.
“He’s always been a No. 1 receiver,” Mailata said, referring to Smith’s skill and leadership style. “Nothing has changed for Smitty.”
But now he actually has the title. And with training camp finished — plus the drama from the Brown situation mostly settled — that reality has sunk in inside the Eagles facility. There’s a sense that Smith, who won the Heisman Trophy when he was a No. 1 wide receiver with the Crimson Tide in 2020, has been waiting for this chance his entire career.
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“I think he’s always seen himself as [the No. 1],” said Eagles wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead. “I think in this building, you’ve always seen him as one. You just had another guy that was a one. There’s something about that that’s probably a little bit fun for him. To be able to know that he’s in that spot right now.”
As if his role increasing wasn’t enough of a challenge, Smith also has to learn a new offense. After things went stale under offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo last season, the Eagles replaced him with Sean Mannion, who is installing a new scheme rooted in his background in the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay offense. Coach Nick Sirianni said at the scouting combine that he expects his WR1 to be “on the rise” in the new offense, but it’s up to Smith to deliver on that.
How have the results been so far?
“It speaks to him that he missed a little time in camp, but right when he came back, the first thing we felt, we were like, ‘Yeah, this is who we missed,’” Moorehead said.
Learning a new playbook has never been an issue for Smith. Napier recalls Smith, then a sophomore in high school, skipping Alabama’s spring game — which would have been an opportunity for him to network with his future teammates and coaches — so that he could study the Tide’s playbook in his office.
“He stayed in my office the entire day. He never went to the game,” Napier said. “He’s consumed with being the best he can be. He’s blue-collar. He’s tough.”
So, how do those who knew him with Alabama think he’ll look in the Mannion offense, specifically?
“Oh, it doesn’t matter what offense he’s in,” said former Alabama associate head coach Burton Burns. “Whatever offense DeVonta’s in, he’s going to figure it out, he’s going to learn it quick, and he’s going to thrive.”
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“Look, he’s played for lots of different systems, lots of different coordinators,” Napier said. “He’s going to learn his playbook and give the organization everything he has. It’s the best thing about him. He’s a playmaker, regardless of the system.”
Above all, Smith’s coaches have praised his ability to rise to a challenge — which is fitting for the task he faces in 2026. Early in his recruitment, Alabama balked at extending Smith an official offer, hoping that it would motivate him to add weight to his slender frame. He not only rose to that challenge but wound up a five-star recruit, then set seven school receiving records and won two national titles with the Crimson Tide.
“He just kept working and working until we had to take notice,” Burns said. “He’s just got this quiet demeanor about himself that creates a lot of confidence.”
He’s meeting his goals ahead of his most difficult task yet this season. Moorehead said at the beginning of the offseason that he challenged Smith to ramp up his leadership as his role increased. Moorehead said Smith has done a “great job” with that, mentoring young receivers like 2026 first-round pick Makai Lemon and helping his teammates learn Mannion’s concepts.
“He’s been through a lot of wars here,” Moorehead said. “He’s not afraid to say that it’s not right — and he’s always been like that. I think that’s the Alabama in him, but I think even more so now he’s able to just take charge. He’s done a great job as far as leadership goes in the room of just helping everybody.”
The Eagles’ regular season roster is set - for now. How ready is the team for the new year, and will the talent be enough for the Eagles to get back to Super Bowl contention? The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Mike Sielski examine general manager Howie Roseman’s final roster decisions in the aftermath of cutdown day. Listen here.
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