DeVonta Smith Is The Real Deal

There has been some buzz on Twitter recently that the Eagles made the wrong decision in the draft. Joe Giglio of 94 WIP Sports Radio thinks the Birds should’ve traded up to select Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons rather than DeVonta Smith. It’s true that Micah Parsons has looked the part for a Dallas defense that suddenly is much improved. And the Eagles defense does look like it could use a young dynamic linebacker, but I’m here to tell you why DeVonta Smith was unquestionably the right pick.

 

DeVonta Smith has a chance to be the next great Eagles receiver. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that 4 games in. He’s shown us everything we wanted to see so far. Elite route running, high target volume, and consistency. He’s currently on pace to be the Eagles’ first 1,000 yard receiver since Jeremy Maclin back in 2014.

Smith is coming off his first 100 yard game as a pro this past Sunday against the Chiefs. Smith was targeted 10 times and came down with 7 catches for 122 yards. It’s clearly his best game as a pro up to this point, totaling a career high in targets, catches, and yards. What’s even more impressive is that it could’ve been a whole lot more, if he didn’t get forced out of bounds on a long touchdown reception that was called back. 

The Eagles have come out of the gate as a very pass heavy team, a surprise to most Eagles fans considering the offensive personnel. In Week 4, 28.3% of offensive snaps went to a runner, and only 14.9% of those rushing plays went to an actual running back. Of course, the Eagles were playing Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs who force you to pass to keep up with them. And to Jalen Hurts’ credit, he did a pretty good job of keeping this game close. Hurts finished 32-48 for 387 yards and 2 touchdowns. But with a Jonathan Gannon defense that seems content with sitting back in zone and not forcing the issue, this pass heavy attack could be a regularity for the Eagles all season long.

The Eagles heavy passing attack is one of the main reasons why I think DeVonta Smith will have continued success over the entire season. From what we’ve seen in the first 4 games, it appears the Eagles are gonna be behind a lot, but they’re going to be competitive. I think this bodes extremely well for DeVonta Smith and Jalen Hurts. While they might not be on their way to a division title, I think this is a good year to see what you have with these 2 young players. They’re going to put up numbers, even if those numbers don’t necessarily equate to wins. 

I think the Eagles need to continue to target DeVonta Smith at a high rate to have any chance of being successful. Other than the tight end duo of Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, the other receivers haven’t shown enough to where they should be getting as many targets as Smith. The beauty in that is that the Eagles have multiple options. Jalen Reagor and Quez Watkins are your 2 deep threat options that can take it to the house on any play. Then you have your 2 reliable pass catching tight ends.

Then you have what should be your first read on most passing plays in Smith. He can fill the role of the underneath safety valve, and has shown that he can also be a lethal deep threat. He’s the Swiss army knife of this Eagles passing offense. The Eagles are currently averaging around 34.5 pass attempts per game, so I think it’d almost be malpractice to not be giving Smith at least 7-8 targets a game.

I think it’s clear that the offense hasn’t been the problem for the Eagles this year, it’s been the defense. Jonathan Gannon’s defense has now given up 40+ points in 2 straight games, which is already one more 40 point game than Jim Schwartz surrendered in his entire tenure with the Eagles. It’s starting to become clear that the style of zone defense that Gannon has introduced is not working. The Eagles need to show different looks during games to at least try and catch opponents off guard. The Chiefs game was a prime example of a defensive coordinator that refused to make any adjustments.

But as for DeVonta Smith and this offense, I think the sky’s the limit. When Jalen Hurts is protecting the ball, and getting the ball out quickly, this offense has no problem scoring. In DeVonta’s 2 best games of the year (ATL and KC) Jalen Hurts finished with a combined 59-83 for 651 yards, 5 TDs and 0 INT. In the other 2 games Jalen Hurts was 37-62 for 516 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs. The formula is there for Hurts and Devonta, they just need to continue to replicate it, and hopefully if the defense can start to play better, the Eagles can start to stack up some wins and at least be in contention for the NFC East towards the end of the year. For Smith to reach his full potential this year, Nick Sirianni needs to give him a consistent stream of targets and opportunities to his best offensive player.

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Smith is legit. I know after 2 quieter games there were some fans questioning whether he could be a stud in the NFL and his size is still a concern... But he's got elite route running ability, he's dynamic with the ball in hand and he gets open. He's going to be a top WR for many years to come.