While the Philadelphia Eagles' passing game has been one of the worst in the NFL in terms of passing yards, that hasn't stopped wide receiver DeVonta Smith from having a good season in that department.
Smith currently leads the team in receiving yards with 889 yards on 66 receptions and three touchdowns on the year. He's just 111 yards away from hitting over 1,000 yards receiving for the third time in his five-year career, which would be a big deal to most players, but not Smith.
"I guess you can say that," Smith said via The Athletic's Zach Berman.
"Would like more, but you know."
Smith isn't satisfied with just 1,000 yards in a season
In his rookie season, Smith was seen as the guy who could develop into a number one receiver in this Eagles' offense after Philly took him in the first round, and it looked that way after 916 yards and five touchdowns. Then the A.J. Brown trade in the 2022 NFL Draft changed that, and all of a sudden, Smith became the number two target.
While Smith had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023, he was always behind Brown in the numbers. Even last year, when Smith had a career-low 833 yards, Brown's production went down too, but he still had over 1,000 yards in the season.
This season has been different, though, as Smith has appeared to be the better, more consistent receiver on the Eagles, as he has been the number one pass target. Tight end Dallas Goedert might be the leader in receiving touchdowns, but Smith has been Jalen Hurts' number one target in the offense.
Brown has made a comeback as he currently has 840 yards receiving and is right behind Smith, but feels more like a stretch for him to get 1,000 yards unless he has a game with over 100 yards. After what has happened when Brown has had over 100 yards in a game over the last month, Eagles fans might want the team to avoid that.
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It's been clear that Smith has been the guy and is playing some of the best football of his career, even if the stats may not show it. When the postseason arrives for the Eagles, Hurts is going to find Smith more times than Brown, and that's how Eagles fans would like it.