Eagles Activate Rookie WR

Ainias Smith is now on the Eagles' 53-man roster and could play Sunday at Cincinnati.

Eagles WR Ainias Smith / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles activated rookie receiver Ainias Smith off injured reserve in advance of Sunday's game at Cincinnati.

Smith, the first of Philadelphia's three fifth-round picks back in April at No. 152 overall, was placed on IR/designated to return at the initial cut to 53 with what was described as an ankle injury.

His 21-day practice window was opened on Oct. 7 so the Eagles had until Monday to either put the Texas A&M product on the roster or shut him down for the season which would mean a healthy player not practicing barring a release.

Smith will join a WR group that includes stars A.J. Brown and DeVinta Smith, as well as Jahan Dotson and rookie sixth-round pick Johnny Wilson. Veteran Parris Campbell has also spent time on the active roster but is now on the practice squad, along with younger receiving options Danny Gray, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, and Kyle Phillips.

Veteran Britain Covey, who also serves as the team's primary punt returner, is on IR with a broken scapula, and veteran John Ross is on the PS/injured list with an undiclosed injury.

Smith arrived in Philadelphia eager to translate the success he had as a playmaker at Texas A&M to one of the NFL’s most prolific offenses.

The 5-foot-9, 176-pound Texas native was also projected as a tailor-made fit for one of the few needs Philadelphia had on the offensive side: slot receiver.

Real life got in the way in the form of a stress fracture in Smith’s shin uncovered at the NFL Scouting Combine, an injury that took him out of the Day 2 conversation for most NFL teams and into Day 3 of the draft where the Eagles decided the cost-benefit analysis was worth it.

Smith arrived in Philadelphia while still in rehab mode after surgery and was pushing to get back on the field, eager to prove the Eagles right for taking a chance on him. When finally cleared Smith began pressing and he started dropping the football, something that was never much of a problem at the college level.

Things started to turn near the end of the summer and Smith was targeted nearly twice as much as any other Eagles’ receiver and snared a team-high six receptions for 36 yards in the preseason finale against Minnesota.

“I feel like throughout the whole entire spring and summer, I really wasn't getting any reps and I was down because of my injury,” Smith admitted to Philadelphia Eagles on SI. “... Once I started to get them real reps, then I feel like I was pressing a little bit. But then the game started to slow down for me a little bit.”

Smith refused to use any injury an an excuse for his his slow start, though.

“I mean, I was definitely working to get ahead throughout the whole summer, throughout the whole spring,” he said. “When I was down here at OTAs with the training staff, throughout the whole summer, I was working hard, trying to go ahead and get back right. And it was a quick turnaround but I'm not able to use that as an excuse.

“There's no excuses. I need to go ahead and be ready. So at the end of the day, it is what it is.”

Smith ended up on IR for six weeks, learning the business side of the NFL before finally breaking through to the 53 Saturday.

The roster spot was opened Friday when the Eagles moved defensive tackle Byron Young to IR with a hamstring injury.

In other roster news Saturday, the Eagles did not use any practice squad elevations for the first time this season. With Dallas Goedert ruled out Friday with a hamstring injury that means Philadelphia will have only two tight ends -- Grant Calcaterra and Jack Stoll --available for the second consecutive week.

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