With training camp rolling, the Eagles are dealing with an uncomfortable sight: DeVonta Smith is on the injury list and missing practice time. The good news, according to Eagles beat writer David Zangaro, is that Smith is still working out on the side. That suggests the hamstring issue is not serious enough to shut him down completely, and it leaves open the possibility that he could be back relatively soon if it starts to improve.
It looks like DeVonta Smith (hamstring) is going to miss another practice. But he’s out here early getting in some work on the side. pic.twitter.com/2h7J2XGTAZ
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) August 13, 2026
That matters in a big way for Philadelphia. The receiving corps needs Smith on the field, and every practice he misses leaves the group a little thinner. There is still a few weeks before the regular season begins, so the Eagles do have time for him to recover.
Smith’s role only became even more important after the Eagles traded disgruntled receiver AJ Brown to the New England Patriots, creating a new hierarchy in the receiver room and giving Smith his first real taste of that kind of spotlight. He is coming off a season in which he caught 77 passes for 1,008 yards and four touchdowns, and the Eagles are counting on him to keep building from there.
The timing is tricky because Philadelphia may be fighting the Dallas Cowboys for first place in the NFC East this season, and the team needs its top players available. Smith is not the only one dealing with injury trouble, either - Makai Lemon is also sidelined.
For now, the offense still runs through Jalen Hurts at quarterback and Saquon Barkley on the ground. The heavy emphasis on the run game was part of what pushed Brown out the door, but the Eagles still have to throw the ball somewhere. If Smith remains unavailable, tight end Dallas Goedertz is the best option, with the rest of the healthy receivers still largely unproven.
In Other News...
Former Eagles RB Faces Heartbreaking Race Against Time With Daughter
A former NFL running back got a heartbreaking reprieve this week when Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Renard Scott granted him early release from prison so he could spend time with his critically ill daughter. The ruling came after the judge approved a motion to withdraw the players guilty plea, clearing the way for him to leave despite prosecutors seeking a stay.
The former Eagles back had been serving an 18-month federal sentence tied to COVID-related fraud, along with a concurrent state sentence for gun possession, when his case took a deeply personal turn. His 8-year-old daughter Mila is now in palliative care with an aggressive kidney cancer diagnosis, a situation that has shifted the focus far from the legal case and onto a family racing against time. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Suddenly Have A Receiver Decision They Cant Ignore
Ten practices into camp, the Eagles have gotten encouraging signs along the interior of the offensive line, where the depth looks better than it did a year ago. But the receiver room is still drawing attention for the wrong reasons, especially after the trade of A.J. Brown left a vacancy that has not been cleanly filled. With the roster still taking shape, the team is balancing a few promising position battles against the reality that some areas simply look thinner than others.
Makai Lemons injuries have kept him from getting the kind of run he would need to settle the WR3 discussion, and the competition behind him has not produced an obvious answer. For a team trying to protect itself against more injuries and keep enough trusted bodies on hand, the next move at receiver may need to come from outside the building, even as the Eagles weigh how to preserve depth elsewhere with players like Byron Young, Michael Carter, Nolan Smith and Brandon Graham still mattering in that bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]
Former Eagles Running Back Granted Release Amid Heartbreaking Family Crisis
A former NFL running back who once spent time with the Eagles has been granted early release from prison so he can be with his critically ill daughter, who is now in palliative care after unsuccessful cancer treatments. The decision from Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Renard Scott came during a deeply personal stretch for the family, marking a rare break from the legal battles that had kept the former back behind bars.
He had been serving an 18-month federal sentence tied to COVID-related fraud, along with a concurrent state sentence for gun possession, before the court allowed him to leave. The case also took a procedural turn after a motion to withdraw his guilty plea followed a recent appeals court ruling involving New Jerseys assault weapons ban, adding another layer to an already difficult situation that now centers on his daughters condition. [Read more 🡒]