At long last, the Philadelphia Eagles have traded veteran wide receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots. While the move has seemingly been a done deal for months, things were made official on Monday. Now, Brown and the Eagles will have to figure things out without each other.
Philadelphia knew this day was coming, so they spent their offseason acquiring wide receivers every way possible. While all the newcomers should make a big difference, a returning receiver is the wideout who will face the highest expectations.
That receiver is, of course, DeVonta Smith. The veteran wideout found a way to shine in Brown’s shadow, but he will now face the responsibility of being the team’s No. 1 receiver. Even though Smith has already been paid, the 2026 season will serve as a make-or-break year for his reputation in the league.
DeVonta Smith will face tremendous pressure as Eagles’ No. 1 receiver
Smith has been great for Philadelphia since the team drafted him with the 10th overall pick in the 2021 Draft, and he has played every year since his rookie season alongside A.J. Brown. During that rookie year, Smith did lead Philly with 916 receiving yards, but he took a backseat to Brown a year later.
Even while being a No. 2, Smith consistently improved and produced at a high level, surpassing 1000 receiver yards in three of the last four seasons. However, there are questions about whether he can be a true No. 1 receiver.
Smith believes he can, and the Eagles do as well. The only thing that has been lacking for the veteran wideout is the opportunity to prove it. He now has that opportunity, and there will be a lot of eyes on him to see what the verdict is. If Smith struggles as the go-to guy, many people will be quick to argue that he’s only a really good No. 2. If he immediately takes his game to another level, though, the Eagles will move forward happy with their new No. 1.
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It will be interesting to see how Philadelphia’s new offense will play into this. With so many players capable of contributing in the wide receiver room, new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion could elect to spread the ball around. While that could prevent Smith from having monstrous production, he could still prove to be a No. 1 if the Eagles are winning, and they can count on DeVonta Smith when they need to go to him.
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