'We're Going To Look At Each Other First,' Eagles' DeVonta Smith Is Ready To Make Magic With Jalen Hurts

PHILADELPHIA - WR1 has never been a foreign designation for the Eagles' DeVonta Smith.

The sixth-year wideout once won the Heisman Trophy at Alabama, set the Eagles' franchise rookie record for receiving yards in 2021, and had settled in as the WR1B during the four seasons A.J. Brown spent in Philadelphia.

With Brown now in New England, however, Smith is now the undisputed top dog in the remade Eagles' receivers room, which will include first-round rookie Makai Lemon and trade pickup Dontayvion Wicks as the top supporting options.

Despite that, if you were to make a list of the Eagles' top worries, it would be the size of "War and Peace" before getting to Smith.

“He’s always been a No. 1 receiver,” star left tackle Jordan Mailata said Tuesday. “Nothing has changed for Smitty.”

Over his first five pro seasons, Smith, 27, has crossed the 1,000-yard barrier three times. He's got excellent hands, strong route-running ability, contested-catch skills, and a wiry frame that produces the kind of strength that belies Smith's size.

Despite Mailata's assessment, however, some things will change for Smith in 2026.

New offensive coordinator and first-time play-caller Sean Mannion is bringing a Shanahan/McVay style offense to Philadelphia with more under center work, motion and play-action principles.

Smith, meanwhile, can expect an increased number of targets and additional attention from the defenses the Eagles will face.

Smith is hardly a shrinking violet and will not by shying away from any increased expectations.

“I think every year, you want to be better than you was the last one,” Smith said earlier this week. “So it’s always going to be things you want to improve on.”

Labels don't affect Smith's mindset when playing the game, which is workmanlike and almost utilitarian.

“I’m just going out there to do my job,” said Smith. “However you want to look at it, [receiver] one, two, three, four, whatever you want to look at it. At the end of the day, we all have jobs and we’ve got to go out there and do it.”

Smith did say the new offense is different but it's too early to make any grandiose proclamations on what the finished product might look like.

“We’re all still trying to learn, we’re still installing,” Smith said. “But I think it’s going good. It’s only a matter of time before we really get a chance to go out there, and we have everything in [that] we’re doing, but right now, we’re just fine-tuning.

"Everybody’s trying to get a hold of everything.”

Complete Receiver

Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) in action against the San Francisco 49ers in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Lincoln Financial Field. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell seems the same Smith every day at practice regardless of scheme or circumstance.

“He’s just so agile, versatile,” Mitchell said. “Gets in and out of his breaks good. He’s fast, he’s strong, he’s physical. So he’s a complete receiver.”

Smith and quarterback Jalen Hurts have known each other since Alabama when the Eagles' QB1 helped recruit Smith to the Crimson Tide and both will be going into Year No. 6 as starters together in the NFL.

“I’ve been knowing Jalen since high school, so it’s only getting better,” Smith said. “Two guys, think we both fairly know each other well, to know how to approach each other in certain things ... and to be able to just have that understanding that when things [are] not going right, we’re going to look at each other first.”

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