Eagles' WR DeVonta Smith Back From Concussion; Doesn't Believe Hit That Sidelined Him Was Dirty

Eagles WR DeVonta Smith has cleared the NFL's concussion protocol and is set to return Sunday against Cleveland.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) is injured on a tackle by New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khristian Boyd (97) / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith has cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol and will play Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.

Smith spoke with reporters after practice on Friday for the first time since suffering a concussion on a scary hit from Saints defensive tackle Khristian Boyd during the fourth quarter of a 15-12 win in New Orleans on Sept. 22.

Boyd was ultimately fined $4,665 by the NFL for unnecessary roughness (late hit) after failing to be penalized on the field.

However, Smith did not feel the Boyd hit was a dirty one and put more of the onus on the officials who should have blown the play dead when Smith's forward progress was stopped.

“Nah, I don’t feel like it was dirty or nothing,” Smith said. “He didn’t hit me in the head or nothing like that. More so, I feel like the whistle should have been blown.”

The follow-up question was about playmakers wanting a longer rope but Smith held firm.

“I can’t extend the play if I’m moving backwards,” he said.

The situation was a scary one for Smith's teammates. His running mate and friend, A.J. Brown, who also missed the game with a hamstring injury, checked in on Smith in the blue medical tent.

Smith noted it wasn’t scary to him personally because he was unable to understand what was going on at the moment.

“I remember everything up until I went to the locker room,” Smith explained.

Despite his 6-foot, 170-pound frame being a major talking point when Smith was drafted No. 10 overall in the 2021 draft after a Heisman Trophy-winning season at Alabama, the fourth-year veteran has been extremely durable and his absence at Tampa Bay on Sept. 29 after failing to clear the concussion protocol was only the second game he's missed.

In the first three games of the 2024 campaign, Smith has 21 catches for 239 yards and a touchdown. Prior to that Smith set a franchise record for rookie wideouts with 916 receiving yards in 2021 and followed that up with consecutive 1,000-yard season (1,196 in 2022 and 1,066 in 2023).

The 2-2 Eagles were without Smith, Brown, and All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson in their Week 4 loss to the Buccaneers before the bye week. All three are off the injury report and scheduled to play Sunday against the Browns.

“Feels good just to get back out here around the guys,” Smith said. “Two weeks away from them. So just good to get back around the guys and just get back to playing football.”

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