Author: Ryan Novozinsky

The Eagles might be without DeVonta Smith (hamstring) when they face the Rams on Sunday.

The 27-year-old receiver was a nonparticipant in Wednesday and Thursday’s practices. NFL Network furthered the report, calling Smith “legitimately questionable.”

This would be a massive blow to an offense that relies on their No. 1 receiver heavily. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has targeted Smith on 32.9% of his pass attempts, which is the second-highest rate in the NFL. He has accounted for 38% of their receiving yards.

If Smith can’t play, the Eagles will likely bump No. 2 wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks up the depth chart. Wicks was quiet in the Eagles’ 27-7 loss to the Bears on Monday. He has 179 yards and one touchdown reception on nine catches through three games.

Wicks, who was an afterthought in three seasons with the Green Bay Packers, logged 70 or more receiving yards in the first two games. Last season, he only had one 70-plus yard game.

Wicks, speaking with reporters at his locker room stall following Thursday’s practice, said he’s ready to step into the WR1 role.

“Being me,” Wicks said, when asked what gives him confidence he can thrive in an improved role. “I already had that confidence. Been had it.”

Wicks, 25, said this confidence was even present in Green Bay, when he was buried on the depth chart. The Eagles traded for Wicks this offseason, then signed him to a one-year, $10.5 million extension, keeping him under contract through 2027.

Now three weeks into his Eagles tenure, Wicks said he feels “in rhythm” and ready to produce.

“It’s just about the rhythm, the reps, getting those reps,” Wicks said. “I always believed in myself, so I wouldn’t say the confidence wasn’t there. It was just the rhythm and having those reps and seeing those reps in practices that I wasn’t getting. So, yeah, it’s different.”

The Eagles offense has had a turbulent first three weeks. They average 302.3 yards per game, with 191.7 of those yards through the air, which both rank 24th in the NFL.

How does Wicks feel about Sean Mannion’s offense, three weeks into the season?

“I mean, we getting there,” Wicks said. “There’s a lot of stuff we got to clean up. You’ll never be perfect, but, everybody’s still getting adjusted to the new system. That takes experience.”

NASHVILLE — The Eagles looked finished. Toast.

The Titans may not have scored a touchdown on their penultimate possession, but they sure had all the momentum after securing a three-point lead with two minutes left on a sweltering Tennessee afternoon.

DeVonta Smith had other plans.

On the final drive of the game, the star wide receiver posted 38 yards on four receptions, including a pair of clutch toe-tap grabs, to help surge the Eagles to a 24-20 victory. His 19-yard sideline catch with 14 seconds remaining was the biggest catch of the day as it put the Eagles on the 3-yard-line and set up Darius Cooper’s game-winning touchdown.

Smith’s final stat line: 117 yards and one touchdown on 10 receptions.

The 27-year-old looked just as composed on the field as he did in the postgame locker room.

“It was fun, man,” Smith said of the intense final drive. “Game on the line, all that. Shouldn’t have been that close, but you know, you live for moments like that.”

This performance comes one week after a modest showing from Smith. Against Washington, he was targeted six times and recorded just 53 yards (with a long of 31 yards). Not terrible, but also not the stat line he wanted in his first game of the post-A.J. Brown era.

On Sunday, though, Smith looked like a true No. 1 option — hauling in acrobatic catches and creating separation with ease. Smith was asked what it was like to finally be the “go-to guy” after the win.

“I take a lot of pride in it,” Smith said. “I feel like it was time. It was time for me to go out there, for me to show what I can do, that I can be that guy.
I had an opportunity and I went out there and did it.”

According to his teammates, Smith’s performance and leadership — especially during the game’s most turbulent moments — was infectious. The Eagles logged 264 yards through the air on Sunday. Their receivers accounted for both passing touchdowns. Nine players were targeted and the non-Smith receivers tallied 114 total yards.

Cooper — a training-camp success story as a second-year undrafted free agent who carved out a roster spot with a strong summer — scored the final touchdown to secure Jalen Hurts’ 14th career game-winning drive.

Dontayvion Wicks was effective too, totaling 74 yards on five catches, including a clutch 27-yard gain on the final drive. Wicks, who was an afterthought in three seasons with the Green Bay Packers, had 70 or more receiving yards for the second straight game — a feat he only accomplished one time last season.

He credits Smith — the “leader of the pack,” according to Wicks — for helping him stay motivated.

“He was looked at as the second guy, he waited his turn,” Wicks said of Smith’s status before A.J. Brown’s departure. “I mean, just to see his workday, to see how he works, it’s motivating. He’s embracing that world [as a WR1] and it’s making us better.

“It’s going to help us win.”