The Eagles' trade of A.J. Brown to New England becoming official this week confirmed DeVonta Smith as the clear No. 1 receiver in Philadelphia.
Entering Year 6, however, Smith downplayed the reality that he's now the clear alpha that defenses will key on.
"I mean, I'm just going out there and do my job," he said this week, . "Regardless, however you want to look at it, one, two, three, four. End of the day, we all have jobs, and I've got to go out there and do it. I'm going to do the same thing I've been doing."
In five seasons, the 27-year-old has generated three 1,000-plus yard campaigns, including 1,008 yards and four touchdowns on 77 catches in 2025. A smooth route-runner who can generate easy separation, Smith has always boasted No. 1 WR traits; now, he should get the target share worthy of the talent.
"He's always been a No. 1 receiver," left tackle Jordan Mailata said. "Nothing has changed for Smitty.
"Smitty's always led from the front. So that narrative, we can shut that down now because Smitty's always led from the front. And just because he never wore that captain's patch the last two years didn't mean that he wasn't a captain in the locker room. But he always led from the front.
"And that's why I'm calling it now. When he wears that captain's patch this year, there's no surprise. He's always been a captain in my eyes, just from the way he's led, the way he's always gone about his business on and off the field."
The Eagles prepared for the Brown trade by adding first-round pick Makai Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown this offseason. While none is a direct replacement for A.J. Brown, the collective, along with Smith, gives Philly a deeper WR crew than it sported a year ago. Even with additional weapons, Smith still projects to earn a significant uptick in targets. His career-high of 136 targets came in 2022, and he earned 113 a year ago. Brown averaged 130.3 targets over his four seasons in Philly.
Smith noted that there might be weeks when teammates are targeted more, and that's fine with him.
"I'm just going out there to do my job, whatever that may be for the week that we're playing," he said. "Whoever we're playing, whatever the job may be for that week. I'm just trying to go out there and do that."
