If Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith finally makes it to the Pro Bowl for the 1st time in his career in 2026, rest assured he will almost certainly have established himself as 1 of the NFL’s best wide receivers as well.
Smith, a Pro Bowl talent by almost any metric, is staring down a murderer’s row of wide receivers in the NFC if he wants to add that particular honor to his already long list of career accomplishments.
“Smith has just scratched the surface of what he can be in the NFL,” NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro wrote on July 15. “In his five NFL seasons, Smith has been no slouch. He has averaged over 1,000 yards per season with his best year in 2022, when he had nearly 1,200 yards. That season he had 136 targets but has averaged 104.5 in his other four seasons. If Smith ends up with 140-150 targets, he could be in store for a wildly productive 2026 season. The biggest hurdle for Smith to make the Pro Bowl is the talent in the NFC. While Brown is now out of the conference, the following receivers are still in the NFC: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Puka Nacua, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Justin Jefferson.”
Two of the players on that list — Smith-Njigba and Justin Jefferson — are former NFL Offensive Player of the Year winners.
New World for Eagles, DeVonta Smith in 2026
Smith’s absence is more noticeable because he’s now the WR1 for the Eagles after spending 4 seasons as the WR2 behind 3-time NFL All-Pro A.J. Brown, who was traded to the New England Patriots on June 1.
“(Smith) is a number one wide receiver,” former NFL wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. said after the trade. “He’s been waiting for that opportunity.”
In typical fashion, Smith has been markedly understated when it comes to what his new role might be.
“DeVonta Smith on being the unquestioned top WR if A.J. Brown is traded: ‘I got a job to do so I plan to go out there and do that,’ ” The Athletic’s Zach Berman wrote on his official X account on May 2. “He offered no public thoughts on Brown’s status. ‘I just go out there and do my job,’ Smith said.”
DeVonta Smith Called ‘Most Overpaid’ on Eagles
Smith signed a 3-year, $75 million contract extension before the 2024 season and could be in line for a massive raise if he shows he can step into Brown’s role as the WR1 for the Eagles — something that could boost his annual salary from approximately $25 million to something in the range of $35 million.
Before the 2025 season, Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon called Smith the “Most Overpaid Player” on the Eagles’ roster.
“Smith is a very good player, but he’s a clear-cut No. 2 receiver who has averaged about 1,000 yards per season and never scored more than eight touchdowns in a campaign.” Gagnon wrote. “Yet his $25 million AAV makes him the 12th-highest-paid player at his position.”
Nicknamed “The Slim Reaper” or “Skinny Batman” because of his 6-foot, 170-pound frame, Smith won 2 national championships in 3 seasons at Alabama and became the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991.
With the Super Bowl win following the 2024 season, Smith also became just the 5th player in football history to win a college national championship, Heisman Trophy, and a Super Bowl.
Eagles WR DeVonta Smith Facing ‘Talent’ Hurdle in Pro Bowl Quest