Eagles news: DeVonta Smith gets his due, Cre’Von LeBlanc hints at return

Losses by the Philadelphia Eagles to the Dallas Cowboys are never easy to stomach. The pain is, however, less intense when the Birds can still lay claim to owning the NFL’s best record afterward. 15 games have produced 13 victories so far in 2022. Two more regular-season contests are on the ledger. Both are home dates. Despite the recent letdown on Christmas Eve, there’s no shortage of reasons to be excited. You can thank guys like DeVonta Smith for that.

Eight receptions, 113 yards receiving, and two touchdown grabs catapulted him to the first 1,000-yard receiving campaign of his career. Something tells us that he will enjoy more. He was truly electric on the final drive, performing toe taps on the sideline and climbing the ladder for clutch grabs. Ultimately, Philly’s last-ditch effort came up short, but the national media continues to take notice.

Jamie Erdahl raved about him on NFL Network’s highly-popular Good Morning Football (fast forward to 3:45 to hear her take).

"His toe-drag swag this weekend was unbelievable… There was a controversy two years ago. DeVonta Smith didn’t submit his measurements coming into the draft… His wing span must be 200 inches, my God. The way he extended, my goodness (he) went up and got that ball (referring to the way he toe-tapped near the sideline during his final drive). That’s dangerous! A.J. Brown has had a fantastic year, but if you’re telling me that DeVonta Smith is going to, all of a sudden, be a 1a option, not even option two, look out because he kept them (in the game) and he was really big and supported Gardner Minshew in a way that the Eagles needed it this weekend."

The numbers: 79 receptions, 1,014 yards receiving, and seven TDs. He and A.J. Brown have both eclipsed the 1,000-yard threshold. They’re the first wide receiver duo in franchise history to do that.

They’re a dynamic duo in every sense of the word, and get this. They’ll be playing together for at least a few more years.

More Eagles news: Cre’Von LeBlanc hints at a comeback.

With Avonte Maddox out of the lineup indefinitely and with there being no discussions of C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s return from the injured reserve, a familiar name is being tossed around, one belonging to Cre’Von LeBlanc.

The Eagles’ secondary has come under fire as of late, thanks in part to a 52-yard completion on third and 30, and the, shall we say, less-than-stellar efforts of some of Philadelphia’s reserves that have been forced into action because of injury.

The man affectionately known as ‘Strap’ made it known to all general managers via Twitter that he’s available if needed. He was recently seen retweeting Darius Slay’s declaration that Philly will bounce back following their loss to Dallas.

LeBlanc hasn’t played meaningful snaps in a game since November 2020. Reed Blankenship has been a nice surprise in an injury-riddled Eagles secondary. Josiah Scott hasn’t been.

It’s doubtful that the Birds will roll the dice on Cre’Von this late in the campaign, especially seeing as how he has been out of action for a while. We threw his name on our list of what-ifs and possible contingency plans anyway. While he may not be Philadelphia’s best, he is, indeed, an option.

Don’t be shocked if he doesn’t receive a call, but if Howie Roseman and the Eagles have taught us anything it’s this. Expect the unexpected at all times.