Eagles Captain DeVonta Smith Reveals 'Shocker!'
The Philadelphia Eagles will have nine captains in 2023, seven of whom will rock the "C" on their chest for at least the second time in their careers: center Jason Kelce, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, defensive end Brandon Graham, quarterback Jalen Hurts, right tackle Lane Johnson, cornerback Darius Slay and kicker Jake Elliott.
Receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are new captains this season, and the latter admitted he was surprised when informed about the honor.
"I was surprised," Smith said. "You know who the guys around here are ... if you were around a person and just asked them who the captains were, everybody would probably name the same old guys. Just being in there myself, it was a shock to me."
DeVonta Smith is entering his third season with the Philadelphia Eagles. (Geoff Burke/USA Today)
Once he got over his initial surprise, the third-year receiver said he realized how special it was to be voted a captain by his teammates.
"It means a lot to me," Smith said. "It lets me know I'm doing things the right way."
Since being selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Smith has caught 159 passes for 2,112 yards and 12 touchdowns. He and Brown -- who had 88 catches for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022 -- formed one of the best receiver duos in the NFL in their first season together. It was Smith who was the leading receiver for the Eagles in their Super Bowl LVII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, as he hauled in seven passes for 100 yards.
Assuming Smith tops 1,000 receiving yards for the second consecutive season, he could very well seek a new contract next offseason, as he'll become eligible for a second deal after the 2023 regular season concludes. Great production and being voted a captain on a team full of deserving candidates would make Smith a pretty clear-cut player for general manager Howie Roseman and the Eagles to want to reward.
