On Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles finally traded A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots, and as a result, DeVonta Smith has the juice now. With Brown no longer on the team, the pressure will be on Smith’s shoulders to be the team’s No. 1 receiver. The Eagles have a ton of players in the receiver room who can contribute, but Smith is the guy.
The question that will be asked of him in 2026 is whether he’s capable of being a team’s top guy. Smith believes he is, and he’s reportedly doing the work to meet expectations. Still, the true answer will come between the lines in the fall.
While everyone has to wait and see how Smith will perform in 2026, it’s important to note that this won’t be his first time lining up without Brown. A look at Smith’s previous games when he was Philadelphia’s top option should have fans encouraged about his outlook as the team’s WR1.
Eagles fans should be confident in DeVonta Smith’s ability as a WR1
Some might argue that one could look at Smith’s play alongside Brown and see that he has the talent to be a WR1. While there’s definitely some merit to that statement, it’s also true that things are different when you’re the top guy. Defenses focus on you differently, and you often face much tougher matchups; you don’t have the luxury of someone else taking all the attention off you.
Smith has been in that situation at times throughout his career, and he has delivered. His earliest experience as a team’s top guy was when he was just a rookie, when Brown was still playing with the Tennessee Titans. Smith stepped in as the 10th-overall pick and immediately established himself as a go-to guy for the Eagles.
As a rookie, Smith played in all 17 games, leading the Eagles in receptions with 64, receiving yards with 916, and receiving touchdowns with five. Additionally, the Eagles finished that season with a 9-8 record, and Smith was truly just getting started.
He continued to ascend as a wideout; his development just happened with Brown alongside him, so he didn’t necessarily get the credit he deserved. Brown was also pretty durable during his time in Philadelphia, so Smith rarely had to take the field without him. From the moment Brown came to Philadelphia, Smith played just four games that Brown didn’t appear in at all, and they all came in the last two seasons.
In Week 2 of the 2024 season, Brown was out, and Smith caught seven of 10 targets for 76 yards and a touchdown. A week later, with Brown still sidelined, Smith caught another seven of 10 targets for 79 yards.
During the 2025 season, Brown missed Weeks 8 and 18. In Week 8, Smith caught six of nine targets for 84 yards, helping the Eagles win a shootout. In Week 18, with Tanner McKee playing quarterback, Smith played just nine snaps but caught three of four targets for 52 yards.
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In other words, he’s ready to be the lead receiver for the Eagles, and he will prove it this season.
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