A year ago, Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the one getting the doubt. With D.K.
Metcalf gone, the question was simple: could he handle life as the top option? He answered it in a big way, taking home Offensive Player of the Year honors and helping power Seattle to a Super Bowl victory.
Now DeVonta Smith is staring at a similar opening in Philadelphia after the Eagles traded A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots.
On a recent episode of "The Athletic Football Show," David Helman drew the connection and didn’t hesitate to plant his flag: “I’m calling my shot now. He’s an All-Pro receiver. I know he’s never been named one before, but he’s an All-Pro caliber receiver."
That’s the kind of leap Smith is positioned to make if the pieces fall the right way. The situation around him has changed, and so has the offensive setup. Smith-Njigba’s rise came with a new scheme in 2025 that broadened his role, and Philadelphia is expected to do something similar under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, who should expand what Smith does as a pass catcher.
For years, Smith and Brown were used heavily on vertical routes outside the numbers, with a steady diet of hitch and go concepts. According to Matt Harmon of Reception Perception, nearly half of Smith’s 2025 routes were go, post, or hitch routes. Mannion’s offense is expected to lean more on crossing routes and work the middle of the field more often.
Smith has already shown he can be much more than a secondary piece. He’s a Heisman Trophy winner, a top-ten draft pick, and a three-time 1,000-yard receiver. Even while playing alongside another star wideout, he has found a way to produce at a high level.
The biggest variable, as Helman pointed out, is Jalen Hurts. The quarterback has long been effective when throwing outside the numbers, but the middle of the field has been a tougher area for him to attack. If Hurts can make that adjustment, Smith stands to gain the most.
Smith-Njigba’s 2025 line was eye-catching: 1,793 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns and 119 catches. Smith may not match that kind of output in 2026, but the setup is there for him to move into the NFL’s top tier of receivers.
In Other News...
Eagles Camp Struggles Exposed A Bigger Problem Around Jalen Hurts
Day 5 of Eagles training camp brought a messier look than the team has usually wanted to show in July, with the offense stalling through penalties, incompletions and a Jalen Hurts interception. The absences of Devonta Smith, Makai Lemon and Lane Johnson only added to the challenge, leaving the quarterback working with a thinner group than usual as the unit tried to find any rhythm.
The bigger issue, though, is what happens when the Eagles have to lean beyond their top names. The offensive depth, especially up front, still looks like something worth watching closely, and the backups had a hard time keeping Hurts clean as the day wore on. For a team that expects its offense to set the tone, those camp reps are reminding everyone that the margin can get thin fast when the line starts to wobble. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Backup QB Battle Suddenly Carries Bigger Stakes Than Fans Realize
The Eagles quarterback room got a little more interesting when they brought in Andy Dalton from Carolina for a seventh-round pick, and the move immediately changed the feel of the backup competition behind Jalen Hurts. Tanner McKee is no longer just the incumbent understudy, while rookie Cole Payton is also getting a look, giving Philadelphia more bodies and more intrigue at a spot that usually stays out of the spotlight until it suddenly matters.
Dalton and McKee have both flashed during training camp, which makes this more than a simple depth chart exercise for the Eagles. Dalton has already talked up McKee as the two continue to build a relationship, but the bigger question now is how the staff sorts out the pecking order behind Hurts before the season begins, with one extra quarterback in the mix and only so many meaningful reps to go around. [Read more 🡒]
DeVonta Smiths Deal Is Giving The Eagles A New Decision
DeVonta Smiths three-year, $75 million extension signed in 2024 already looked like a major commitment, and it still does. At $25 million per year, it put the Eagles receiver firmly in the upper tier of the position, but the broader wideout market keeps climbing, and that changes how a deal like this can look in a relatively short time.
For Philadelphia, the question is no longer whether Smith was worth paying. It is how long this contract will remain in line with the market if his play continues to rise toward the games highest-paid receivers. The Eagles have other extension cases to sort through first, but Smiths next contract is not really a matter of if so much as when, and the price could look very different when that conversation finally arrives. [Read more 🡒]