Eagles’ DeVonta Smith breaks DeSean Jackson’s rookie receiving record

When the Eagles selected DeVonta Smith with their top pick in last April’s NFL Draft, they envisioned a bright future for the Heisman Trophy award winner. Nine hundred and sixteen receiving yards later, Smith has proven he already possesses the makeup of a true franchise wide receiver.

The regular season concluded Saturday evening — with the playoff-bound Eagles losing to the Cowboys in the meaningless finale — but Smith shined as he made his own history at Lincoln Financial Field.

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With Gardner Minshew at quarterback, Smith hauled in three receptions for 42 yards in the first quarter, upping his season total to 64 catches. Smith’s 916 receiving yards surpassed DeSean Jackson’s 912 yards — set in 2008 in a 16-game season — for the most receiving yards by a rookie in franchise history.

“It’s good to get it out of the way,” Smith said casually during his postgame press conference.

After setting the new mark, coach Nick Sirianni subsequently removed Smith from the game.

Smith — one of the few starters who actually played Saturday — celebrated his early exit by embracing quarterback Jalen Hurts on the sideline. Hurts was listed as inactive, but the second-year quarterback made sure he was one of the first teammates to greet Smith and congratulate him on his latest accomplishment.

“This was a momentum thing,” Smith said. “I wanted to stay on my routine and keep doing what I’ve been doing all year. ... We didn’t come this far just to stop now.”

On the reception that broke Jackson’s record, Smith executed excellent footwork on a curl route. He created more than enough separation from Cowboys defensive back Kelvin Joseph and easily hauled in the pass from Minshew.

“That moment was awesome,” Minshew said of Smith. “He’s a great dude, works really hard. He’s going to be a really, really special player. We’re all fired up for him.”

Added running back Kenneth Gainwell: “He’s got sweet feet. He’s smooth with it. He does everything.”

Smith arrived to Philadelphia already boasting an impressive resume. As a senior at Alabama, he led the NCAA in receptions (117) and set all-time SEC records in receiving yards (1,856) and receiving touchdowns (23). He became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman since Desmond Howard in 1991.

Smith broke Jackson’s record with the help of an additional regular season-game. But one could argue Smith wasn’t prioritized nearly enough throughout the season, despite him being the team’s de facto No. 1 wideout. Of Smith’s 17 games, he was targeted six or less times in 10 games, including two contests with only four targets and one game with three targets.

Before departing the stadium, Smith admitted he was disappointed he didn’t eclipse the 1,000-yard mark, falling 84 yards short of his personal goal.

“Honestly, this record wasn’t one of my goals — I didn’t get my [actual] goal,” Smith said. “It’s my fault I didn’t get [1,000 receiving yards]. I left a lot of stuff out there earlier in the season.”

Still, Smith leads the Eagles in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, five. His 14.3 yards per reception ranks second among rookie wideouts behind only the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase. The 23-year-old Smith has already developed a reputation for his ability to make acrobatic, toe-tapping catches.

Most notably, Smith started in all 17 games during his rookie campaign. During his predraft process, several scouts questioned his size (6-foot, 170 pounds) and durability. But Smith proved those doubters wrong by staying healthy all season and setting records along the way.

“Some of the records mean a lot to me,” Sirianni said. “I wanted to reward them, but not put them at risk. When I talked to DeVonta earlier in the week, I asked him how important this was and he said, ‘I want to do what’s best for the team.’ But I know at some point, he would’ve wanted that record and we were able to get it for him without a lot of risk taken. He’s feeling good.”