Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith confirms plan to play against Panthers: 'Count me in'

Olivia Reiner, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec 6, 2024

Published in Football

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PHILADELPHIA — After being sidelined with a hamstring injury for the last two weeks, DeVonta Smith is available to play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

The 26-year-old Eagles receiver was listed as a full participant in practice all week starting Wednesday, which was the first time he had that designation since the days leading up to the Dallas Cowboys game on Nov. 10. He was removed from the injury report on Friday, but Smith confirmed earlier that afternoon that he was good to go for Sunday.

“Count me in,” Smith said.

Smith was first listed on the injury report with a hamstring issue following the Eagles’ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 3. He managed to play in the next two contests and faced the Cowboys and the Washington Commanders, but he missed the pair of games against the Los Angeles Rams and the Baltimore Ravens that followed.

He returned to practice on Nov. 28 as a limited participant ahead of the game against the Ravens and was listed as questionable to play, but he ultimately was inactive.

“It really wasn’t up to me,” Smith said. “Like I said last week, sometimes you’ve got to stay away from yourself. If you just left it up to me, I would’ve just kept going, and it would’ve just made things worse.”

Instead of putting himself at risk of reinjury, Smith took the two weeks after the Commanders game to rehabilitate his hamstring. Now, the 6-foot, 170-pound receiver said he feels “fresh” ahead of his return.

Smith hasn’t had to make many returns from injury throughout his four-year NFL career. The Eagles have seldom played without him since they selected him 10th overall in the 2021 draft out of Alabama. Smith has missed more games this season — three, including Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a concussion — than he has in his last three years combined. In that span, Smith only missed the 2023 season finale with an ankle injury.

The Eagles have averaged 131 passing yards in games without Smith this year, which is a 77-yard decrease from their average in contests with him in the lineup (208 yards).

“Can’t wait for him to be out there,” A.J. Brown said Thursday. “He does a lot. He does a lot. He’s like basically our signal-caller when we come in the huddle. We go to him. And just his play. His presence. His presence will be felt when he gets back on the field. So I’m excited for him. I know the team is excited to have him back, too.”

Additionally, Darius Slay (concussion) is available to play after missing last week’s game against the Ravens. The 33-year-old starting outside cornerback sustained a concussion the previous week in Los Angeles, which required Isaiah Rodgers to assume his spot in the defense. Slay has been banged up at times throughout the year and missed the Jaguars game because of a groin injury.

While the Eagles are expected to welcome back two starters in Smith and Slay on Sunday, they’ll be missing two others. Dallas Goedert (knee) and Reed Blankenship (concussion) were ruled out against the Panthers. Both players sustained their injuries against the Ravens and did not practice all week.

Britain Covey (neck) also has been ruled out despite practicing in a limited capacity on Thursday and Friday. His absence indicates that Cooper DeJean likely will slide back in as the first-string punt returner, a role he held while Covey was on injured reserve with a broken shoulder blade for seven weeks. Sydney Brown (knee), who was activated off of injured reserve in late October after tearing his ACL late last season, has been ruled out, too.

With Blankenship and Brown sidelined, Tristin McCollum is expected to make his first career start at safety alongside C.J. Gardner-Johnson. McCollum, the 2022 undrafted free agent out of Sam Houston State, entered the Ravens game in relief of the injured Blankenship last week. He nearly intercepted a pass from Lamar Jackson late in the fourth quarter on fourth down, but the ball slipped through his hands.

“Definitely hit the JUGS machine a lot more [this week],” McCollum said. “I’ve been making that a point of emphasis.”

The 25-year-old McCollum has appeared in just 12 games (114 defensive snaps) in his last two seasons with the Eagles, this year being his first on the 53-man roster. He had a full week of practice reps with the first-team defense, which is a luxury compared to last week before he came off the bench cold to replace Blankenship.

“It’s definitely big because when you’re just getting mental reps, you have to really lock in mentally,” McCollum said. “But getting the physical reps, you can kind of convert some of that into muscle memory. So it’s nice getting the physical reps because your body gets in the swing, gets used to the offense that you’re going to be going against. So it’s very, very beneficial, and, definitely, I’ll never take it for granted, that’s for sure.”