DeVonta Smith is going to be the most popular name on the field in Week 6 when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Carolina Panthers.
And no, not simply because the Eagles’ wide receiver with that name is a star player. It’s because the Panthers have a player named DeVonta Smith, too.
The odds seem slim, but it’s the truth. In a slightly disappointing twist, the Panthers’ Smith won’t actually play on Sunday, because he remains on the practice squad and wasn’t elevated for Week 6. But he’ll be on the sideline and get some work in pregame while he watches his name counterpart on the other side.
The Eagles’ Smith is a well-known player, but the Panthers’ Smith is more of a new face on the scene, so it’s worth getting to know him better.
Who is the Panthers’ DeVonta Smith?
The Panthers’ DeVonta Smith is an undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame.
Carolina signed the cornerback on May 8, after he impressed at rookie minicamp for the Panthers.
Smith then did enough in the preseason to earn himself a spot on the Panthers’ practice squad.
He has yet to get a chance in an NFL regular season game yet.
Connections Between 2 NFL DeVonta Smiths
Maybe the most entertaining subplot here is that the Panthers actually have a couple players who were good friends with the Eagles’ Smith.
Bryce Young and John Metchie both played with the WR Smith at the University of Alabama. Young threw passes to Smith in his prolific college career. So they knew that DeVonta Smith first.
“I call him Smitty,” Bryce Young told the Panthers’ official website, trying to clarify some confusion, “Sorry, I call DeVonta Smith for the Eagles, Smitty, and I call DeVonta Smith for us Tae.”
And oh yeah — this DeVonta Smith began his college career at Alabama. He arrived the same year that the wideout was drafted into the NFL.
“That’s like if next year somebody on defense is John Metchie,” Metchie told the Panthers’ official website. “I’d be like, ‘Hold on, is that me?'”
The CB Smith himself knew the path was going to be interesting for him.
“I definitely had to earn my name, which is crazy,” the younger Smith told the Panthers’ official website. “Like it’s my name, you feel me? It’s a respect thing; I get it, though. He played with them. They met me as Tae.”
The Panthers’ Smith shared in that story on the team’s official website that he often gets tagged in posts or messaged by fans trying to call out the Eagles’ Smith.
That included this week, when the wide receiver was iffy with a hamstring injury.
The Eagles’ Smith will play, and the Panthers’ Smith will watch, hoping that someday soon he gets a chance to make a name for himself.
There Are 2 Players Named DeVonta Smith in Panthers-Eagles — Here’s How They Relate