The Eagles placed Smith (ankle/hamstring) on injured reserve Tuesday and designated him to return, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports. After being selected in the fifth round of April's NFL Draft, Smith came on strong late in training camp and tallied eight catches on 12 targets for 43 yards during the exhibition slate. However, he suffered an ankle injury during Philadelphia's preseason finale, and an MRI indicated that he'll likely need to miss 4-to-6 weeks. Under a new NFL rule, Philadelphia was able to leave Smith off the 53-man roster, place him on IR and designate him to return. He'll need to miss at least the Eagles' first four games of the regular season.
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Status
IR-R - Ankle - Not Specified Expected Return: 2024-10-13Latest Ainias Smith news
Team
Philadelphia Eagles
Birthdate
5/31/2001 (23)
Status
Injured Reserve - Designated for Return
HT/WT
5'9", 176 lbs
Draft Info
2024: Rd 5; Pk (PHI)
Birthplace
Missouri City, TX, USA
Position
WR
College
Texas A&M
Career History
Philadelphia Eagles
2024-Present
(1 season)
The Eagles placed Smith (ankle/hamstring) on injured reserve Tuesday and designated him to return, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports. After being selected in the fifth round of April's NFL Draft, Smith came on strong late in training camp and tallied eight catches on 12 targets for 43 yards during the exhibition slate. However, he suffered an ankle injury during Philadelphia's preseason finale, and an MRI indicated that he'll likely need to miss 4-to-6 weeks. Under a new NFL rule, Philadelphia was able to leave Smith off the 53-man roster, place him on IR and designate him to return. He'll need to miss at least the Eagles' first four games of the regular season.
Smith (ankle/hamstring) underwent an MRI on Monday and could be a candidate to miss the start of the regular season, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Smith, a rookie fifth-round pick, has impressed in the preseason and seemed to be making a strong case for a spot on the 53-man roster. If Smith's MRI indeed confirms an injury that will impact his Week 1 availability, however, the Eagles could instead opt to place him on IR, which would rule him out for the first four games of the year. However, Philadelphia's recent acquisition of Jahan Dotson via trade from the Commanders makes Smith's path to a significant role in the slot murky, even if he can quickly return to full health.
Smith caught six of nine targets for 36 yards in Saturday's 26-3 preseason loss to the Vikings. He also returned one punt for 14 yards. The 2024 fifth-round pick led the Eagles in catches and targets Saturday as he made his final case for a home on the season-opening roster. Smith's narrow path to a significant role in the slot likely closed when Philadelphia traded for Jahan Dotson, but the Texas A&M product may have shown enough as both a receiver and a returner to claim the last spot on the wide receiver depth chart.