DeVonta Smith has been the consummate professional since being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles five years ago.
If Smith has been frustrated with his role in the offense, it’s been behind closed doors and not leaked. the Eagles wide receiver is good enough to be a WR1, yet has embraced his role being a WR2 to AJ Brown.
Not like Smith hasn’t produced as a WR2 over the last few years. He has three 1,000-yard seasons over the last four years, and was on pace for four if not for a hamstring injury that caused him to miss three games.
Smith has been everything the Eagles wanted at wide receiver, totaling 5,019 yards and 31 touchdowns over his five-year career — an average of 1,004 yards and six touchdowns a season. The majority of these numbers coming as a WR2.
What if Smith was a WR1? That opportunity may be coming this season.
The Eagles continue to say AJ Brown is an Eagle, refuting any reports that his future is uncertain in Philadelphia. A huge reason the Eagles can keep that statement is because it’s better for Brown to be traded after June 1 thanks to the Eagles significantly saving dead cap money.
If Brown is traded, Smith becomes the WR1 with Dontrayvion Wicks as the WR2 and Hollywood Brown as the WR3 — and this is if the Eagles don’t select a wide receiver in the early rounds of the draft.
This is a golden opportunity for Smith to put up massive numbers in Sean Mannion’s new offense. Could he produce the same way Jaxon Smith-Njigba did in Seattle last seaosn once the Seahawks traded D.K. Metcalf? Some in the organization think that’s the case, per the Philly Voice.
Let’s take a look what Smith-Njigba did in his seasons with Metcalf and his season post-Metcalf
|
Jaxson Smith-Njigba — with D.K. Metcalf and post-Metcalf |
With Metcalf (2023-2024) |
Post Metcalf (2025) |
|---|---|---|
|
Catches per game |
4.8 |
7.0 |
|
Receiving yards per game |
51.7 |
105.5 |
|
Receiving TD |
10 |
10 |
Smith-Njigba essentially had double the production once his role was elevated, and he had numbers similar to Smith in year two. The Seahawks receiver had 100 catches for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns in 2024 — his first year as a WR2.
Smith has averaged 80 catches for 1,026 yards in his four seasons as a WR2 to Brown. Those numbers are slightly less than Smith-Njigba, but the Eagles threw the ball significantly less than the Seahawks.
The Seahawks offense also elevated with Sam Darnold at quarterback. While Jalen Hurts is a good quarterback, he’s a different type of passer than Darnold. This isn’t a bad thing, but the two signal callers have different games.
The Eagles are still banking on Smith becoming a true WR1 in Brown’s absence — should they trade Brown. Smith is an excellent receiver and can put up huge numbers if he does become the top pass catcher in the offense.
While Smith may not have the historic season as Smith-Njigba, he’ll put up massive numbers because of his route-running ability and separation. If the Eagles use Smith properly under Mannion, his contract will be a massive bargain.
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