There have been a lot of conversations about Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith and how truly special he is at the position.
Many believe he has proven himself the number one receiver in the offense and that it could be his role in 2026, given the trade rumors involving the Eagles and Smith's teammate, A.J. Brown. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked by reporters at the NFL's league meetings about whether Smith can be a number one receiver in the offense if Brown does leave.
"Both those players — keep A.J. in it. Both those players are phenomenal players that contributed to a lot of wins over the past four years here, DeVonta, A.J., both," Sirianni said via The Athletic's Zach Berman. "It's not like we have a 1A and a 1B. We got two ones there."
Nick Sirianni says Eagles have two number one receivers
The reality is that Smith has been the number one receiver in this offense since the team took him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He led the team in receiving in his rookie year with 916 yards and five touchdowns.
In 2022, Brown was traded to the Eagles, and despite him being a "number one" receiver on the team, Smith did not stop dominating, as he has had three 1,000-yard seasons in the last four years. Last season was Smith's first time leading the Eagles in receiving yards since Brown's arrival, as Smith had 1,008 yards and a career-low four touchdowns.
No, Smith has never been the fastest receiver on the field, but he can absolutely do it all in this offense. He can burn defenders deep down the field, and he can turn a simple three-yard reception into a 40-yard touchdown on a dime.
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There really should never have been a question about Smith being a number one receiver because he's always been. No matter what happens with Brown, Smith is going to be ready to step up in this offense.