Over the next few weeks leading up to training camp, we’ll be counting down the top 25 most important Eagles for the 2024 season.
25. Brandon Graham
24. Nakobe Dean
23. Milton Williams
22. Jake Elliott
21. Nolan Smith
20. Cooper DeJean
19. Reed Blankenship
18. Tyler Steen
17. Devin White
16. Quinyon Mitchell
15. Jordan Davis
14. Landon Dickerson
13. C.J. Gardner-Johnson
12. Dallas Goedert
11. Josh Sweat
10. Bryce Huff
9. Cam Jurgens
8. Saquon Barkley
7. Darius Slay
6. DeVonta Smith
There was hand-wringing from some Eagles fans about whether or not the Birds were going to be able to sign DeVonta Smith to a contract extension this offseason.
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There was no reason to worry.
The Eagles were never going to let a young, homegrown star receiver leave the building. They had plenty of money and foresight this offseason to extend both Smith and A.J. Brown.
Since Smith was a first-round pick in the 2021 draft class, this offseason was the first time he was eligible for an extension and the Eagles wasted little time locking him up on a three-year, $75 million deal. Since then, some other receivers have surpassed that but Smith was and is happy with his deal.
For years, the Eagles had subpar receivers so it’s a real luxury to have two receivers as good as Brown and Smith. While Brown is the superstar of the two, Smith is a star in his own right with over 3,000 yards receiving in his first three seasons.
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And there’s not a hint of jealousy between them.
“I think at the end of the day, any problem that would happen is (if there were) jealousy between one of them,” Sirianni said. “But these guys love each other. These two guys have a great relationship. And that's what you're trying to create for your entire football team. And it's a great example. I feel like I'm able to use them a lot as far as the example of how teammates respond to each other.
“DeVonta is genuinely happy when A.J. has a good game and A.J. is genuinely happy when DeVonta has a good game and they help each other get better throughout the week."
While Smith’s numbers haven’t been as gaudy as Brown’s, he’d be a No. 1 receiver on a ton of other teams and his numbers would be way better if Brown wasn’t here. But that’s what makes the Eagles’ passing attack so dynamic: Both of them.
Brown and Smith were the first Eagles duo of receivers ever to have 1,000+ yards in a single season and they’ve now done it in back-to-back seasons.
With 3,178 receiving yards, Smith is just the second Eagles player all-time to have 3,000+ yards in his first three NFL seasons, joining DeSean Jackson, who had 3,124 from 2008 to 2010. No Eagles player has ever had more receptions (240) than Smith in their first three seasons.
And there’s a chance the Eagles have just scratched the surface with the former Heisman Trophy winner. The Eagles have a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, who might be able to unlock even more of Smith’s skills.
“I think it’s going to be great,” Smith said at mandatory minicamp. “Get a new style of offense around. Let guys, not have more freedom, but be able to do things that we weren’t allowed to do, moving guys around, things like that. Overall, it’s always (good) to have a fresh start.”
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