The Eagles are heading into Week 6 with another injury mess on their hands, but at least one piece of the puzzle is trending in the right direction. DeVonta Smith returned to practice this week after missing the past two games with a hamstring injury, and he is expected to play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
That matters a lot for Tanner McKee. With Jalen Hurts suddenly sidelined indefinitely because of a superficial blood clot in his calf, McKee is set for his third career start, and Philadelphia could use every bit of help it can get around him. The Eagles are also down their top three running backs on the depth chart, including Saquon Barkley, which leaves practice squad players Dameon Pierce and Carson Steele as the top two active backs.
That setup points toward a passing game that may have to carry the load. If the ground attack struggles to get going, McKee will likely need to throw often just to keep Philadelphia in the game. Having Smith back gives him a clear No. 1 option and a target Carolina has to account for snap after snap.
Smith’s presence should ripple beyond just his own catches, too. If the Panthers devote their top cornerback and extra attention to Smith, that could create more space for Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon, Darius Cooper and Dallas Goedert. All of them can make plays, but Smith changes the picture because defenses can’t treat him like just another receiver.
And if the Eagles can get the passing game rolling, that could help the run game follow along later. A defense that has to respect the air attack can’t crowd the box the same way, which is why Smith’s return carries so much weight for the offense as a whole.
There’s also some real familiarity here between Smith and McKee. The first completion of McKee’s professional career came on a throw to Smith in a December 2024 game against the Cowboys, and later in that same matchup, the two hooked up again for a touchdown across the middle.
Smith was asked this week what McKee does well, and he zeroed in on the backup quarterback’s command of the offense. “[He] takes command of the offense,” Smith said of McKee.
“It's hard for a quarterback to come in who doesn't get a lot of reps and things like that to get with the starting group and just come in and take command. I think he does a great job of taking command.”
That command will be tested Sunday, but with Smith back in the mix, McKee won’t have to do it without one of his most reliable weapons.
In Other News...
Jordan Mailata Just Put Eagles Offense On Notice
The Eagles are trying to steady themselves after a 25-14 loss to the Panthers, a game that underscored how thin the margin gets when key pieces are unavailable. Without Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia has had to lean harder on the rest of the roster, and Jordan Mailata made clear the offense cannot afford to let the details slip while both players work through injuries and their return timelines stay unclear.
Mailata framed the fix in simple terms: the Eagles need better focus and effort to clean up the kind of mistakes that stall drives and pile up pressure on everyone else. With Dallas next on the schedule on October 26, Philadelphia does not have much time to sort out its rhythm, especially with Hurts calf issue and Barkleys hamstring injury still hanging over the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Mailata Just Put The Eagles Biggest Problem On Blast
The Eagles defense spent too much time chasing the Panthers in the 25-14 loss, and the imbalance showed up in a way that has become hard to ignore. With the offense sputtering on the ground and piling up penalties, Philadelphias front seven wound up absorbing the kind of workload that wears a team down long before the fourth quarter arrives.
Jordan Mailata did not shy away from saying the quiet part out loud after the game. The left tackle pointed to the offenses lack of discipline and accountability as a major reason the defense was left in that spot, underscoring how much the Eagles need the unit on the other side of the ball to clean up its act before the strain starts showing up in even bigger ways. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Have An Under Center Problem They Cant Ignore
The Eagles work from under center has become hard to ignore after the loss to Carolina, where the offense leaned on play-action and got almost nothing out of it. The game plan included five under-center dropbacks, and none of those throws turned into completions as the pocket got squeezed and the rhythm never really showed up. It fit a larger pattern for Philadelphia this season, one that has made the most traditional part of the playbook look far less dependable than the shotgun looks this offense usually prefers.
Jalen Hurts has been part of the issue, too, with the numbers showing far less success when he is asked to operate from under center instead of in shotgun. Tanner McKee has had similar trouble in those situations, which leaves the Eagles with an uncomfortable question about how much of the offense can still live in that space. For a team trying to stay balanced and keep defenses honest, the under-center package is starting to look like a problem that cannot just be brushed aside. [Read more 🡒]