Bengals Are On Alert For The Eagles' Selfless Superstar

The Eagles tend to reward DeVonta Smith in the wake of one of his selfless games.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6). / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - DeVonta Smith is different.

The Eagles' fourth-year receiver is the rare 6-foot, 170-pound receiver (Smith says 165) that feels like he plays physically and Cincicnnati coach Zac Taylor saw the same thing in prparations for Sunday's game when the 3-4 Bengals host the 4-2 Philadelphia Eagles.

"DeVonta Smith is DeVonta Smith,” Taylor said when asked about the WR. “He’s not anybody else."

In other words, there's no real obvious comp for Smith, who is supposed to be bullied by opposing defensive backs but somehow manages to do the bullying with a wiry frame that includes so much strength in a smaller package that perhaps human nature takes over and defenders don't expect it.

"One of the most competitive guys you’ll ever watch," Taylor said when discussing Smith. "Take the measurables out of the equation. Tremendous speed, played physical, really strong at the catch point, finished off plays, was willing to do anything. Just a really impressive evaluation as he came out, and he’s obviously lived up to that in this league."

Smith is also different from a personality standpoint.

Despite a Heisman Trophy on his resume, two 1,000-yard seasons, and the Eagles franchise rookie record for receiving yards over his first three pro seasons, Smith is understated at a position that seems to breed oversized personalities.

Quiet whether he's generating 100-plus yards and big plays in the passing game or getting only two targets for minus-2 yards in a 28-3 drubbing of the New York Giants when the Eagles went run-heavy and asked Smith to block.

Smith was asked if that light workload bothered him on Friday after practice.

"Nah, it is what it is. Flow of the game. You got Superman [Saquon Barkley] back there running the ball the way he runs the ball," Smith smiled. "Let it be."

Smith's demeanor is a luxury for the Eagles' coaching staff.

"I think what was unique as I saw it this week in the Giants game was when you watch that tape, you see there are multiple times where DeVonta is throwing his body around to get a block," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. "We only passed the ball four times in the second half, so it's going to be a day that any receiver is not going to get the production [they] normally get, when those things happen.

"... I'm going to single those two guys out particularly, DeVonta and A.J. [Brown] – of how they blocked in a game like that. I remember there was a game a couple years ago where DeVonta said the same thing. I remember he said it to [CB Darius] Slay on the sideline. Slay is like, ‘Let me get in.’ We were winning by a lot, and he's like, ‘Let me get in and get a couple catches.’

"He's like, ‘We ain’t catching it today. We've been running it. And if you want to come in on offense, you better go ahead and strap it up because we're blocking today.’"

It's a sefflessless that can be seen 570 miles away in Cincinnati.

"I hate to put him in a bucket with other people his size and weight, because he plays so differently than what you would think initially when you saw his measurables, but tremendous player," Taylor said.

And one Taylor should be on notice for this week because the Eagles tend to reward Smith in the wake of one of his unselfish games.

"At the end of the day, it's about winning the football game and what we have to do to be successful," Sirianni said. "And when you're a guy who gets the ball a lot and then it's a day that you don't get the ball, how are you affecting the game in a positive way when you're not touching the football?"

MORE NFL: Talking Turnovers: Eagles Star CB Says You Have 'To Earn The Right'