Eagles Receiver Not Putting Much Stock In Return To Louisiana

Finding a win without A.J. Brown for a second straight week is more on this receiver's mind than returning to his home state.

Sep 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) catches a touchdown pass during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA – The tiny Louisiana town of Amite City is about an hour northwest of New Orleans. The population barely touches 5,000, per the 2020 U.S. census, so it’s a town where everybody presumably knows everybody else and neighbors help neighbors.

This is where DeVonta Smith was raised, and on Sunday, he will be back in his home state when the Eagles play the Saints at 1 p.m.

It’s no big deal for Smith. He downplayed his homecoming earlier in the week, saying that he wasn’t expecting anymore friends or family than usual even though this is the first time he will play in Louisiana since he joined the Eagles as the 10th overall pick in 2021.

Smith will, however, be in the glare of the spotlight again because A.J. Brown is out for a second straight week as he tries to get his ailing hamstring right.

Last week, Smith was targeted 10 times against the Falcons, making seven catches for 76 yards. He didn’t make any explosive plays of 20-plus yards, though.

The last time Brown missed a game was last year’s loss in the opening round of the playoff against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had eight catches on 12 targets in that game for 148 yards with a long of 55 yards.

“This game (last week) was a lot different than that one,” said Smith. “In Tampa, they just played me one-on-one, whereas last week they crowded me a lot. Just going out there, seeing what the defense gives us, and we’ll have to adjust accordingly.”

Eagles WR A.J. Brown at open practice. / John McMullen/Eagles on SI

The Eagles knew early in the week that Brown would be out again. Last week, he wasn’t ruled out until Sunday, leaving little time for adjustments.

This week should be different.

Smith will probably be crowded again, but maybe this time they will have a plan that will involve Jahan Dotson and maybe better ways to free up Britain Covey.

Smith is a fan of both receivers.

On Dotson: “I’ve been a big fan of his since college (at Penn State). So just going out there, asking him some things that he would do, how he pictures some things. We pick each other’s brains. We’re similar style receivers, so it’s kind of easy to relate to them.”

On Covey: “(He) is a big-time player, especially somebody’s that’s in the room with him, and been with him for a long time. We all expect that out of Covey. We know that he can do that. If we’re being real, Covey is a very talented person. He goes out there and does a lot of things that a lot of guys can’t do, with him being so small. He understands the game, so he goes out there, and it’s not like he’s just running around. He knows why he’s doing it. He knows how to set people up.”

An Eagles victory will likely hinge not only on Smith having a successful return to his home state, but on either Dotson or Covey or both having a bigger role than last week.

Maybe even Parris Campbell gets more involved than the 15 snaps he got last week without any targets. The veteran receiver was elevated from the practice squad for a second straight week.

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