As the Eagles trim their roster to 53 players, rookie receiver Ainias Smith won’t be on it.
But he also won’t be subject to waivers.
The Eagles are going to put Smith on Injured Reserve with an ankle injury that was revealed through an MRI, Zach Berman of PHLY reported. The injury is expected to sideline Smith for 4-6 weeks but he will be designated to return.
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On Monday, a report from NFL Network surfaced that Smith was going to have an MRI after reporting discomfort in his ankle and hamstring. That opened up the door for Smith to land on IR.
This was an outcome that seemed obvious after hearing the report of an MRI. Because based on merit, the fifth-round pick from Texas A&M probably didn’t deserve a roster spot. But you can understand why Eagles general manager Howie Roseman wouldn’t want to cut a draft pick.
The Eagles are going to take advantage of a new rule in 2024 that allows teams to put two players on IR before the 4 p.m. deadline and designate them for return. This means that Smith will miss at least four games. In past years, any player put on IR before the cut-down deadline was out for the entire season. Teams used to have to carry a player through the deadline before putting them on IR if they wanted them to return that season.
Smith, 23, came into the NFL with a stress fracture in his shin that limited him in the spring. Even though he was back on the field this summer, Smith got off to a very slow start in training camp. It was a rough few first weeks. He dropped passes, looked uncomfortable and was clearly pressing.
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But he eventually turned things around.
“The first couple weeks, I really wasn't having the success that I had wanted,” Smith said after Saturday’s preseason finale. “I was just pressing, trying to do too much, trying to worry about things that I'm not able to control.
“Those first few weeks, they were my first weeks really practicing. And once those weeks were over, started to get my feet wet a little bit, started to get my feet under me, then the games started to slow down a little bit … and now I'm just letting everything come to me.”
In the preseason finale, Smith caught 6 passes on 9 targets for 36 yards. It was a step in the right direction.
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