Is DeVonta Smith a Deep-Ball WR? Why The Numbers May Surprise The Eagles

DeVonta Smith has been one of the underrated receivers in the NFL for a few years now.

Not in the shadow of A.J. Brown, Smith has made an impact as the WR2 over the last four years. He has 321 catches for 4,103 yards and 26 touchdowns sinc eteh start of the 2022 season -- all ranking amongst the game's best.

Smith is 11th amongst all NFL players in receiving yards, 13th in catching, and 14th in receiving touchdowns sinc eteh start of the 2022 season. Not bad for a WR2.

That's going to change this season, as A.J. Brown is expected to be on the move and Smith will be elevated to WR1. He'll be the primary target in an offense with Makai Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, Dallas Goedert, and Eli Stowers.

The focus shifts to Smith, and so will the offense. The Eagles have a pass-catching group with players whose strengths are running in the middle of the field and creating yards after the catch.

On the outside, there doesn't appear to be any deep-ball wideouts with Brown not in the offense. What about Smith?

The Eagles may not have to limit the biggest strength in Jalen Hurts' game because of Smith.

Smith's deep-ball prowess

A.J. Brown was one of the best deep-ball wideouts in the NFL, but so was Smith.

Smith had 994 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on pass attempts of 25+ air yards since the start of the 2022 season. He was seventh in the NFL in receiving yards and tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns during that span.

Those numbers indicate Smith was one of the elite deep-ball wideouts in the game, even as a WR2 in the offense. Could the Eagles use Smith in the role they had for A.J. Brown -- even in a new offense?

This comes down to how the Eagles wnat to use Smith, who excels in the middle of the field and a master of the route tree. Do the Eagles want to use Smith like how the Vikings use Justin Jefferson or how the Rams use Puka Nacua by giving him more targets? Or do they want the big-play ability?

Smith isn't as effective on passes that travel 10+ air yards, ranking 19th in receiving yards (2,350) and receiving touchdowns (13) since 2022. He also was a WR2 to Brown in those years.

More opportunities as a WR1 equal improved numbers and more opportunities for those big plays.

Jalen Hurts has the deep-ball success with Smith

Hurts already excels throwing the deep ball, especially to Smith.

On throws of 25+ air yards to Smith over the past four seasons, Hurts has completed 46.8% of his passes to Smith with a 106.2 passer rating. On throws of 10+ air yards, Hurts has thrown 11 touchdown passes to Smith with a 106.9 passer rating.

The key word is consistency, which Hurts and Smith have demonstrated over the past few years. Hurts has a comfort level with Smith when he does go deep, which the Eagles should take into account when installing this offense.

Even if the deep ball isn't as prevalent in Mannion's system, the Hurts-Smith combination should produce big plays when the Eagles do go downfield.

This is about Hurts being more consistent in the middle of the field and in the passing game overall. Smith will significantly help with that with the more targets he gets.

The Eagles shouldn't cut down the deep ball with Smith as the WR1. The proof is in the pudding.

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