Eagles’ DeVonta Smith glides like Batman as his acrobatic catches on a career day sink the Commanders

LANDOVER, Md. — DeVonta Smith patrolled the Eagles’ sideline as the caped crusader.

The wide receiver had just reeled in two awe-inducing contested catches during the team’s 24-8 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday and was en route to a career day. The eight-catch, 169-yard performance featured an impressive touchdown grab over a Commanders defensive back and lived up to the “skinny Batman” nickname given to him by Darius Slay a couple of weeks ago.

After Smith’s touchdown grab at the end of the first half, Slay brought the nickname to life. He found the Batman cloak A.J. Brown packed for the trip and draped it over Smith as he celebrated on the sideline.

“It kind of came out of nowhere,” Smith said of the costume. “I didn’t even know they had it.”

For the second week in a row, the Eagles’ passing attack was balanced between each of the top three receiving options. Brown, who said he bought the cape on Amazon for $9.99 after Slay called him “swole Batman,” had five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown. Dallas Goedert had three catches for 26 yards and a score. Quez Watkins, rounding out the receiving trio of dark knights as “fast Batman,” was the member of the prominent group to have a quiet day with just one target and zero catches.

Still, Smith was the star of the day.

The second-year receiver had multiple catches that tested the limits of his physical ability and he rose to the occasion each time. He had a 45-yard catch along the sideline that required him to lean out of bounds while keeping his feet in. The Eagles offense successfully ran a play before Washington could challenge the catch, but Smith’s effort made it tough to determine whether the call would have been overturned.

The next quarter, Smith had a 44-yard catch over two Commanders. Smith outjumped cornerback Kendall Fuller and high-pointed the pass before safety Bobby McCain could get a hand on the ball. He held onto the pass after taking a hard fall from several feet in the air and had to come out for a play, but he said after the game he just got the wind knocked out of him.

“I recommend that nobody do that,” he said.

Four plays later, Smith made another improbable catch, this one coming in the back corner of the end zone with Fuller in tight coverage.

The Eagles took Smith with the 10th pick in the 2021 draft because of his ability to create separation with his route running and to make plays after the catch, but the 6-foot, 170-pound receiver’s prowess reeling in contested catches has been an encouraging development during his first two seasons in the league.

When he gets a chance at a 50-50 ball, Smith said he’s going to shift the odds.

“It’s my ball or nobody’s.”

Slay, who has grown close with Smith as the two often practice against each other, said Smith’s highlight catches didn’t come as a surprise for those who know him best.

Slay also mentioned that Smith could find some success as a defensive back if he ever wanted to trade spots with the veteran cornerback.

“He’s a freak of nature,” he said. “You see the twisting body. Did you see — first of all, he grabbed the ball up in the air. Way up there. He attacked the ball the way a DB is supposed to. He’s got that DB mindset. He is a DB at heart. He wants to play DB. He would’ve come over and play corner. I told him, I want to be a receiver, so we really could switch. Then, I could be a fast and skinny Batman.”

» READ MORE: Eagles defense and DeVonta Smith created a nightmare for Carson Wentz’s Commanders in a 24-8 win

Smith said the call that led to his touchdown grab wasn’t actually in the game plan that week, but Jalen Hurts made a check at the line. The Eagles were out of timeouts and faced fourth down in the final seconds of the first half and Hurts made the call spontaneously before frantically getting the snap off.

Smith’s acrobatics gave the Eagles a 24-point lead going into halftime, effectively sealing the game thanks to a dominant performance from the team’s defense.

“He’s a great player,” Hurts said. “An all-around player. He’s the Slim Reaper. By the eyes he may be a little [slight], but he plays like a big boy, and he is. He’s a grown man.”

Smith has settled into his role as a costar in the Eagles receiving corps opposite Brown. He didn’t have a catch in the season opener but had seven grabs for 80 yards against the Vikings before his career day at FedEx Field.

“It shows you who DeVonta Smith is,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “He didn’t have a catch in the first game, and all he did was come back to work and figure out how to get it done the next game. He had a huge game last game and an even bigger game this game.”

» READ MORE: Inside DeVonta Smith’s 5 a.m. workouts and how he embraces a future with the Eagles

Slay’s speech about the Eagles’ “three Batmans” was made slightly in jest, but also spoke to the way the team views its top receivers.

“This is the best wide receiver group I’ve been a part of, top to bottom,” Brown said. “DeVonta definitely played his butt off today. ... He’s having his way.”

Even though Brown was the one who ordered the cape, Slay said he was part of the brain trust that agreed it would be a worthwhile celebration.

“I said, this is going to go crazy,” he said. “It’s going to go global. Viral!”