Eagles WR DeVonta Smith doesn’t usually say much but when he speaks up people tend to listen. Maybe his words carry more weight because he’s so soft-spoken and stoic, or perhaps it’s because the fourth-year player is viewed as a team leader.
For multiple reasons, Smith is a magnetic personality. So, when the understated receiver revealed there were some communication issues on offense in 2023, people’s ears perked up. They assumed those twisted affairs served as a catalyst for the Eagles’ late-season swoon.
“It’s very frustrating,” Smith said after their 32-9 playoff loss to Tampa Bay, via Sports Illustrated. “Especially when you know you have the talent, you have the right mindset, you have the right things going. And like I said, it’s just the small details you’re missing.”
Now, with training camp over and the Eagles prepping for Week 1, Smith readdressed communications within the department. The team has a new offensive coordinator calling the shots, plus an upgraded slot receiver in the room. Everything has been copacetic at camp, but practices and games are two totally different rodeos.
“I think it’s more of a when it happens,” Smith told reporters on August 29. “We can sit there and talk about we need to communicate, we need to do this, but it’s more so you have to be in that moment, in that situation. So, we can have talks outside of on the field, in the building, and things like that about we need to communicate better.
“It takes place when it’s on the field. So, I feel like we’ve been doing good adjusting on the fly. When things did come up in camp, I feel like we communicated well. But that only happens when things come up.”
The talk of the offseason has been centered around how Kellen Moore’s motion-heavy offense will feed the skill players. Smith has been seen running around the formation, lining up in the slot and on the outside, with teammates and media alike claiming Smith enjoyed the best camp of his career.
“Nobody’s been able to cover DeVonta all camp,” Brown told reporters on August 1. “He’s having an amazing camp.”
That’s all well and good. But, are the Eagles out to prove their doubters wrong?
“I don’t think it’s showing everybody else,” Smith said. “I think it’s just proving to ourselves the work that we’ve done the past month, coming out here, grinding every day with each other, the work that we’ve put in, the time that we’ve put in watching film with each other, helping each other out.
“Whether it’s running routes … quarterback, O-line with protections, and things like that. I think it’s more so just helping each other out and just and being excited for each other and being able to go out there and do this together.”
Jahan Dotson Ready for ‘Big Opportunity’ in the Slot
Jahan Dotson made a huge impression, very unknowingly, on the Eagles back in 2022. Howie Roseman “really liked the player” during the pre-draft process and brought the local kid into the building for a workout and interview. Two years later, Dotson is in line to be the Eagles’ starting slot receiver.
“I truly love being around here and the atmosphere,” Dotson told reporters, “so, yeah, I’m ready to put on for the green and white.”
Remember, Dotson has deep ties to the Lehigh Valley after attending Nazareth Area for high school and Penn State for college. The former first-rounder has always been proudly “representing the 610” for virtually his entire life.
“For me, I feel like this is really cliche, but Pennsylvania has never done me wrong,” Dotson said. “I came here, I excelled in little league, high school, went to college here, so being back it’s kind of refreshing a little bit. And being back home is always fun.”
DeVonta Smith has been a Dotson fan for a long time and proved it by dissecting his college tape as soon as the Eagles traded for him.
“I think it’s a great addition,” Smith said. “Me, personally, I’ve always been a big fan of him, studied his college tape, studied what he’s done the past two years, I’ve always been a big fan. I think he’s going to be a nice addition to the room.”
Meanwhile, A.J. Brown developed a kinship for Dotson after the young receiver reached out to his private trainer Joey Guarascio. Instantly, Brown turned into an unexpected mentor.
“He’s a great person,” Brown said. “I don’t let people train with me, honestly, and I let him train with me. So that should tell you everything you need to know.”
According to Brown, Dotson has a “big opportunity” to turn heads in the Eagles’ revamped offense under Kellen Moore. He’s going to be the forgotten man on a totem pole featuring Brown, Smith, and Dallas Goedert.
“I ain’t going to say you’re not really worried about him but they’re probably not going to put their best guy over there,” Brown said of defenses guarding Dotson. “They can only do so much, you know? And it’s very rare that certain teams probably have three really, really good DBs — and so he has a big opportunity in front of him. He has mismatches all day, and I hope he maximizes those mismatches.”
Not only that, Smith sees a mirror image.
“The way that he runs routes, the way he releases, and things like that, I feel like we’re kind of similar,” Smith said.
Não é bom: Eagles Not Excited to Visit Brazil in Week 1
The NFL apparently didn’t do their homework when assigning Packers-Eagles to travel to Brazil for their Week 1 opener. You see, there is an “informal ban” on wearing green due to an intensely dangerous soccer rivalry. The Eagles have announced plans to wear their black-and-white uniforms to limit the chance for incident.
Still, everyone is on high alert. A.J. Brown had been excited to learn the Portuguese language and take in the sights of Brazil, that is until he attended a mandatory team meeting where coaches let it be known that players need to lay low.
“I’m probably going to be in my room,” Brown said. “This is not a vacation. This is a football game.”
When asked what Eagles’ staffers told him not to do, Brown got wide eyed and serious: “A lot. Simple things, like walking down the street with your phone in your hand.”
DeVonta Smith gave a two-word answer after a reporter drilled him on his excitement level about playing in Brazil: “No comment.”
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
