Eagles Mailbag: Can DeVonta Smith Thrive As Philadelphia’s WR1?
The Philadelphia Eagles finally moved on from All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown, as he was officially traded to the New England Patriots yesterday. It was an incredibly long, drawn-out process due to Brown’s contract and Philadelphia’s preference to execute the trade after June 1 for financial reasons. Yet now both sides can move forward after going their separate ways.
The Eagles are embracing a new scheme with first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion running the show. Philadelphia has made several notable additions at wide receiver this offseason but DeVonta Smith is expected to lead the room. Following Brown’s departure, can Smith fill the role of WR1 in 2026 and beyond? I’ll answer that question and much more in my latest Eagles mailbag.
The Eagles surely hope so. After falling second in line in targets behind A.J. Brown each of the last four seasons, DeVonta Smith will have a chance to reclaim the top spot in Philadelphia’s wide receiver room. The last time that Smith led the Eagles in targets was his rookie season in 2021, when Philadelphia’s offense was led by Jalen Hurts in his first season as a full-time starting quarterback.
Fast forward to 2026 and it’s honestly easy to project Smith as one of the NFL’s top 10 wide receivers next season. He should be the clear leader for a hefty target share and may easily surpass his career-highs of 136 targets, 95 receptions, 1,196 yards and eight touchdowns. While Sean Mannion’s offense is expected to spread the ball around more, Smith should still be at the top of the food chain in Philadelphia.
Thanks to this tweet from Hayden Winks of Underdog, it’s easy to see how well Smith has performed when he was called upon as the top option in Philadelphia in recent years. Smith lands in a tier among several of the other best wide receivers in the NFL and he could finally get the recognition that he deserves in 2026.
Following a busy offseason, Philadelphia’s wide receiver room will look much different in 2026 and beyond. While DeVonta Smith will assume the top spot, nearly everything else will look new for the Eagles. I’d expect rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon to slot in as the second wide receiver in line for targets. Then Dontayvion Wicks will round out the starting trio as the third option behind those two.
Hollywood Brown seems like the obvious favorite for that fourth spot, given his experience and the amount of money that the Eagles gave him on a one-year deal. After that, it’ll be interesting to see how things play out for the final spot or two on Philadelphia’s 53-man roster. Johnny Wilson seems like the early leader for the fifth spot but Darius Cooper and Elijah Moore could shake things up.
If I had to guess, as of right now, here’s how I would project Philadelphia’s wide receiver depth chart for Week 1 of 2026:
WR1: DeVonta Smith (high volume starter)
WR2: Makai Lemon (high volume starter)
WR3: Dontayvion Wicks (decent volume starter)
WR4: Hollywood Brown (deep threat/depth)
WR5: Johnny Wilson (blocking/special teams/depth)
WR6: Darius Cooper (special teams/depth)
I don’t think that you’re overthinking this at all. In fact, it’s probably something that some Eagles fans may not think about enough. It was clear that A.J. Brown was unhappy in Philadelphia, similar to Carson Wentz. Therefore, I believe that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman should be commended for the haul that he was able to get for both players, despite their relatively well-known unhappiness in Philadelphia.
Everything that the Eagles have said and done tells us that they believe that Eli Stowers is a tight end in the NFL. While he has a slight build and may not line-up in-line a ton right now, he is still a tight end. Similar to Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki, who has carved out an eight-year career in the NFL as a tight end that has never really lined up inside with his hand in the dirt.
Yet I believe that Stowers can be much more of a traditional tight end than Gesicki has become in the NFL. Stowers has shown the willingness to block, he just hasn’t done it a ton as a former quarterback. While he may be limited to the slot or even snaps on the outside to start his NFL career, Stowers is a tight end.
I’ve learned to never say never with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman in recent years. But my guess is that Philadelphia is very high on third-round pick Markel Bell and his potential as Lane Johnson’s eventual replacement. While some believe that the Eagles may have reached with their selection of Bell, it felt like Philadelphia was flying over him throughout the entire pre-draft process.
The Eagles clearly circled Bell on their draft board and believe in his upside as a potential starting offensive tackle at the next level. It’s hard to argue against Philadelphia’s plan given their success developing offensive linemen in recent years, although now they’ll have to do so without Jeff Stoutland. But my guess is that they’ll see what Bell can do before making any drastic moves for a veteran offensive tackle.
It’s going to take a unique circumstance for a situation like that to play out in Philadelphia. While we literally just saw the Buffalo Bills do something similar with Sean McDermott and Joe Brady, they each focused on different sides of the football. Both Nick Sirianni and Sean Mannion are offensive coaches at their core, yet it seems like the first-year offensive coordinator has been handed the keys to the unit in 2026.
There is only one situation where I can see the Eagles firing Sirianni and promoting Mannion. Philadelphia would have to miss the playoffs entirely or lose in the Wild Card round again, while the offense somehow also took a step forward. Then the team’s ownership and front office could pitch it as Sirianni’s message getting stale but Mannion showing enough promise to warrant a promotion in 2027.
We haven’t received a clear explanation as to why A.J. Brown wanted out of Philadelphia. Yet there have been clues and reports along the way that essentially led us to this point. It was clear that he was frustrated last season, both on and off the field. Brown showed a lack of effort on the field at times, while also taking (not-so) subliminal shots at the team with social media posts and appearing on a livestream. Last season was an absolute mess.
While all of that was clear to those paying attention last season, there is a belief that things happened off the field in Philadelphia that also led to Brown’s departure. Speaking of that…
There are now a few different “reports” going around on social media after A.J. Brown was traded to the Patriots. I won’t go into details for each “report,” but you can feel free to search on social media and try to find whatever you can. Honestly, I truly don’t care about the reasoning behind closed doors for Brown’s departure. It was clear that he wasn’t locked in last season and we could see this ending coming from a mile away.
At the end of the day, we’re never going to know what truly led to Brown leaving the Eagles. There were likely a bunch of contributing factors that added up to it all coming to an end this offseason. Both sides have moved on and it feels like everyone else should try to do the same thing as well, instead of trying to find the reasoning behind it all like it’s some type of murder mystery.
Jalyx Hunt and it’s not particularly close, in my opinion. After his performance last season, it feels like Hunt solidified himself as the top edge rusher in Philadelphia. Obviously the arrival of Jonathan Greenard will knock him down a spot but I think that Hunt cemented himself as a clear starter moving forward. His blend of size, speed and versatile is incredibly valuable in Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme.
The terrifying part is that Hunt is only continuing to get better and better as he learns the position. He has only been playing edge rusher since 2022 and Fangio has stated that he expects Hunt to improve. That’s a scary thought for the rest of the NFL and likely those that are in the edge rusher rotation behind him in Philadelphia, such as Nolan Smith Jr. and Arnold Ebiketie.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio already stated that Cooper DeJean will play safety in the team’s base defense. When they’re in their nickel defense, Fangio expressed confidence in Marcus Epps as the second safety next to Andrew Mukuba with DeJean sliding back down into his usual position as the team’s slot cornerback.
While I’d never rule out a trade for the Eagles, here is how I would currently project Philadelphia’s secondary in 2026:
CB1: Quinyon Mitchell
CB2: Riq Woolen
S1: Andrew Mukuba
S2: Marcus Epps
S/SCB: Cooper DeJean
Dime DB: Michael Carter II
This actually isn’t as crazy of a question as some may make it out to be. Philadelphia’s offensive line is incredibly thin along the interior behind the current starters. Which is especially concerning given the injury history of both Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens. The Eagles hosted veteran guard Michael Jordan during on a tryout during their rookie minicamp, yet Philadelphia has yet to sign him.
Despite all of that, I’m still personally more concerned about Philadelphia’s depth at safety. They’re essentially in the same situation as they are along the interior of the offensive line without any proven backups at the position. Michael Carter II is a veteran but he hasn’t played much safety in the NFL. Yet Philadelphia’s ceiling is significantly higher with their current starters along the offensive line compared to the current starters at safety.
If I had to guess, I’d set the over/under for trades that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman will make before Week 1 at 1.5…and if I had to bet right now, I’d take the over. But I’m not sure what the magnitude of each trade will truly be. Roseman made five trades in August of 2025, yet he only made one trade in August of 2024. It’s clear that Roseman is always working the phones and I’d expect that to continue ahead of the regular season.
Many are probably tired of hearing me mention these names by now but I’d still focus on potential additions along the interior of the offensive line and at safety. The two free agents that stand out at those positions are Ashtyn Davis and Michael Jordan. Both players have ties to current front office members or coaches in Philadelphia, while also providing starting experience at positions of need for the Eagles. While they aren’t exactly the sexiest names, the fit makes sense.
Eliot Shorr-Parks catches a ton of hate for how he covers the Eagles on social media. But I want to share my experience with him, as a person. I’ve had the privilege of covering just one Eagles home game with media credentials. While I was there, “ESP” went out of his way to make me feel comfortable. He approached me following the final whistle and offered to help me find the locker room and press conference room. He is a truly genuine person and he didn’t have to do that at all. So I’ll take what I saw from “ESP” in that moment over whatever he may post on social media.