Philadelphia Eagles: DeVonta Smith’s rookie season comes full circle

It happened, it finally happened; after being on DeVonta Smith watch for weeks, the rookie receiver out of Alabama has lone possession of the Philadelphia Eagles‘ rookie yards record.

From incredible highs to frustrating lows, Smith has battled through an offensive philosophy change, an injury that resulted in a minor quarterback controversy, and an ever so small rookie wall, Smith built on a few great late-season performances in the month of December to put himself just 37 yards short of DeSean Jackson‘s 912 yard record, a mark he surpassed by the end of the first quarter versus Dallas.

And what did Smith do to celebrate his accomplishment? Well, he checked right into the game to go after 1,000 yards, a decision that Nick Sirianni put the kibosh on rather quickly, but was appreciated nonetheless.

For fans packed in for only the Linc for only the 41st Saturday night game in Philadelphia Eagles history, DeVonta Smith’s third catch of the game was a moment they will never forget. And for fans watching at home, from Amite City, to Tuscaloosa, to Norman, well, I would imagine it was no less magical. And to think, it wouldn’t have happened without the Dallas Cowboys.

The Philadelphia Eagles wheeled and dealed their way to DeVonta Smith.

The Philadelphia Eagles initially entered the 2021 NFL calendar year with the sixth overall pick in the draft.

A fortunate byproduct of dropping a Week 17 bout to the mascot-less Washington Football Team, Philly would have an ability to secure a legitimate difference-maker and would all but surely land one of the top-3 offensive weapons available in the top-heavy draft class: Ja’Marr Chase, Kyle Pitts, and DeVonta Smith.

To some, the choice between the trio was a tricky one. In college, Chase was a beast. While he had the smallest sample size of the group, as he opted out of what would have been his true junior season, Chase was by far the best receiver on LSU’s championship team, and they had a guy by the name of Justin Jefferson who was pretty darn good.

Then there was Pitts. Despite having Dallas Goedert already on the team, Pitts was dubbed one of the best pure pass-catchers in the draft and drew legitimate comparisons to all of the best tight ends in the NFL’s recent memory. Factor in his status as a true blue, born and bred son of the City of Brotherly Love, and the idea of having Pitts as the Eagles’ premier pass-catching option was intriguing, to say the least.

And as for Smith? Well, it was pretty hard not to know about him, as he won a ton of records and became the first wide receiver since Desmond Howard in 1991 to take home a Heisman.

With at least three quarterbacks expected to in the first five picks in Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and either Trey Lance or Justin Fields, and Oregon tackle Penei Sewell a wildcard to sneak in as well, the chances of one of those three pass-catchers being on the board when Howie Roseman went on the board was, to quote Larry David, pretty, pretty, pretty good.

And then, right on cue, Howie Roseman traded down to 12 and dashed those dreams.

Many a fan was heartbroken. The Eagles wouldn’t land an elite wide receiver – or tight end – and Jalen Hurts would be forced to throw passes to a receiving corps headlined by Jalen Reagor, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, and Quez Watkins, who had yet to break out.

While Roseman did secure a 2022 first-round pick and an additional fourth-round pick for his trouble, morale wasn’t particularly high entering the draft, or at least wasn’t as high as it could have been.

But then, it happened.

After watching three quarterbacks plus Pitts and Chase come off the board from picks one through five, the Miami Dolphins took a sharp turn few saw coming and drafted Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith Jaylen Waddle with the sixth overall pick; a pick that remains controversial to this very day. From there, players kept coming off the board, but one who remained was Smith, from seven, to eight, and eventually nine. With the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Eagles set to go on the clock right in a row from picks 10 through 12, it looked like Philly would once again have to watch one of Hurts’ college targets catch passes from a division rival for years to come.

Once again, things looked dire. No Patrick Surtain II, no Jaycee Horn, and now no Smith? What a major league bummer.

If only… if only Howie Roseman could do a deal with the devil – or, in this case, Jerry Jones – and swoop in to secure Smith’s services instead of letting him fall to the Giants.

Well, Roseman did just that, much to the anger of G-Man nation.

For the price of the 12th overall pick – which the Cowboys used to pick the player they would have at 10, Micah Parsons – and 2021 third-round pick, the Eagles leapfrogged Joe Judge and company and drafted a player who would eventually surpass DeSean Jackson to become the team’s all-time leading rookie receiver.

Considering the Eagles also landed a future first-round pick in the deal, I might just go out on a limb and call that series of moves one of the most consequential of the post-Super Bowl era.

Whether DeVonta Smith plays 10 more games or for 10 more years, he will forever go down as the Philadelphia Eagles’ all-time leading rookie wide receiver… well, at least until someone else takes the honor like he did from DeSean Jackson. And to think, it never would have happened without Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys agreeing to make a move to stick it to the New York Giants. I guess the enemy of my enemy really can be my friend, at least situationally.