Eagles Pass Rusher Becoming More Than "A Small Fish In Big Pond"

The Philadelphia Eagles have a new single-season playoff sack leader, who would rather make it about the team than himself.

Jan 26, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nolan Smith Jr. (3) reacts after a play against the Washington Commanders during the first half of the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA – Before snow fell from the sky during the Eagles’ Divisional Round playoff win over the Rams, pass rusher Nolan Smith sprinted out of the tunnel waving Nakobe Dean’s No. 17 jersey as he was introduced to a sold-out crowd at Lincoln Financial Field.

Smith and Dean are tight, former roommates at the University of Georgia and when Dean suffered a season-ending injury a week earlier against the Packers in the wildcard round, it was all Smith could do to keep from shedding tears when asked about his friend.

A week later, it was green and white confetti that fell all around Smith during an interview with the NFL Network following the Eagles’ record-setting offensive outburst in a 55-23 rollover of the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game.

“We go out there and play defense with pride,” he said. “That’s what I love about Philly, and it’s just like the city we live in, we play defense tough and hard (bleeping) nosed.”

Smith has been a revelation, one of many important pieces to a team that will play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, a rematch of Super Bowl LVII just two years ago. He wasn’t on that Super Bowl team from two years ago. His future was still unknown. Less than two months later, though, the Eagles took him 30th overall and just 21 picks after they had selected his Bulldogs teammate Jalen Carter.

I really can’t emphasize enough how much I love @SmithNoland2 pic.twitter.com/qudYdrFeYa

— Philly Dawgs (@PHLDawgs) January 27, 2025

The Eagles probably wouldn’t be in the Super Bowl without Smith – something you could say about so many of his teammates. But now he is.

“It’s exciting, it’s a dream, and I can’t believe it,” he said in the locker room after the Eagles dusted the Commanders.

It’s hard to talk to Smith and not hear him mention a teammate. After Sunday’s win, he talked about linebacker Oren Burks and how he has stepped up in Dean’s absence. He talked about running back Will Shipley who ripped off a 57-yard run when the game reached the blowout stage and reserves were sent onto the field.

What Smith doesn’t do much is talk about himself, but he had 6.5 sacks with 11 quarterback hits and 24 QB pressures during the regular season and added another four sacks in three postseason games.

Those four sacks are a new team playoff record, surpassing the 3.5 Haason Reddick in 2022. Asked how he felt about that, Smith simply said: “I’m just a small fish in a big pond.”

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