Nolan Smith Takes The High Road Against Titans: Won't Take Jeffery Simmons Route

Nolan Smith doesn't sweat much so don't expect the Georgia native to shrink in the heat of Nashville.

Jun 10, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nolan Smith Jr. (3) during minicamp at Jefferson Health Training Complex. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nolan Smith doesn't sweat much so don't expect the Georgia native to shrink in the heat of Nashville.

The Eagles' talented edge defender said Friday that the trip south for Sunday’s game against the Titans feels familiar. 

Philadelphia left a day early to acclimate to a forecast that is expecting mid-90s temperatures on Sunday that will feel even hotter on the field.

“I was born and raised in the South,” Smith said. “A lot of guys from the South, we took it up a level. We practice with hoodies on.” 

Not everyone is used to that weather, however. Eagles Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens joked when asked about handling the extreme heat.

"Shoot, it's mind over matter until your body's cramping up and locking up and you're like, 'Well, it's a little bit of matter now,’” Jurgens quipped. 

Smith, though, probably is taking the right approach.

“We are not worried about it,” he said. “Just excited to go down there and put our best foot forward as far as our defense, and it’s just another game.” 

The Contrast

Eagles edge defender Nolan Smith. | Getty Images

Smith is one of the Eagles’ brashest players behind the scenes, but he’s also calculated when the red light comes on, a savviness that can be traced to Kirby Smart in Georgia.

After All-Pro Jeffery Simmons ignited the always volatile Philadelphia fan base by “disrespecting” Jalen Hurts, an accomplished player who's reached the highest levels in the NFL, Smith turned down the baton when giving the opportunity to issue a receipt to struggling young Titans QB Cam Ward.

“I ain’t gonna do what they did,” Smith said. “They a good team. Any team in the NFL, they get paid just like we get paid, and they go out there and put their best foot forward. Cam Ward’s a great quarterback, and the media may portray this and that, but he’s a really good quarterback. And we gotta bring our best foot forward every game for all 17.”

Smith often points to his Georgia training and the “faceless opponent” approach Smart instilled in him.

“The opponent’s faceless,” Smith explained. “It’s just a different routine, and if we on our stuff, we get what we want.”

Smith is an interesting dichotomy. He plays with a kind of violent edge that has largely been legislated from the game. That’s only between the lines, though. Off the field, he is not interested in tearing opponents down on social media or otherwise.

“Everybody got phones. Everybody got social media. … I’m not a big tearing people down type person, just because you never know what somebody’s going through personally in life off this field,” Smith said.

Sounds like the right type of player to handle any kind of heat.

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