Analyst Says Factors are ‘Working Against’ WR DeVonta Smith Entering 2025
DeVonta Smith, wide receiver, and Saquon Barkley, running back for the Philadelphia Eagles.
With Kellen Moore serving as offensive coordinator, the Philadelphia Eagles offence may not have been as impressive as some had anticipated, but the team’s explosive passing game, which included A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, was the ideal accompaniment to their dominant running game, which helped them win their second Super Bowl in franchise history.
Given that Kellen Moore is now the New Orleans Saints’ head coach, this offence will probably undergo significant adjustments in 2025.
According to one analyst, Smith may suffer from these adjustments in the future season.
Does Losing OC Kellen Moore Impact DeVonta Smith Negatively for 2025?
Although he just finished 2024 with a career-low 833 receiving yards, DeVonta Smith has been a consistent contributor to a strong Eagles offence since he first took the field in 2021.
certain of the reasons why PFF NFL Analyst Nathan Jahnke thinks there are certain elements working against DeVonta Smith in 2025 may be found when you combine this decreasing trend in a run-heavy offence with a new offensive coach.
After the Eagles’ loss to the New Orleans Saints of Kellen Moore, long-time passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo was promoted to offensive coordinator and is anticipated to be the offensive play-caller, Jahnke writes. For the past three seasons, Smith has been a reliable pick to finish in the top 24 fantasy wide receiver rankings, and this season should be no exception. The chance of a better pass rate and more receiving touchdowns is working for Smith, but the departure of Kellen Moore and a perhaps healthier receiver room are working against him.
The latter phrase does give Smith a slightly more positive view, but it’s difficult to predict where the Alabama product’s potential rests because he will still be starting his sixth NFL season in a congested offence with a top-tier rushing assault.
What do the Expectations look like for DeVonta Smith in 2025?
Throughout his first four years in the NFL, Smith has developed a pretty consistent floor worth of output. Over the course of four years, he has caught 60 passes for 800 yards and five touchdowns. However, for a player of his calibre who is the obvious second option in the passing game, identifying predictions can be challenging.
Along with their top two tight ends and Saquon Barkley, the Eagles kept the top four wide receivers on their depth chart, Jahnke continued. With Dalen Hurts rushing, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, Smith, and Dallas Goedert, the Eagles players are arguably in the race for touches the most. The upside is that they effectively combine those touches with those five players.
Smith saw 89 targets in 2024, which was a career low, but it was probably because he only played 13 games the previous season. Smith may be able to have a fantastic year in 2025 as a result of injuries.
“Whenever one of the Eagles’ receivers was hurt, the receiving yards were shared among the other players,” Jahnke added. When Goedert or Brown were hurt, Smith averaged 71.3 yards per game, compared to 47.6 yards per game when everyone was healthy. When one of the two wide receivers was healthy, Goedert also averaged 24 more yards per game, but Brown’s stats were comparable regardless.
Even though Smith is a gifted player with uncommon separation abilities, it still seems likely that he will finish with 85 receptions for 1,100 yards and six touchdowns, plus a few spike weeks when the Eagles are compelled to play more pass-heavy games.
In other news
Eagles are lucky this potential star can offset terrible decision
The Eagles committed a huge mistake by signing edge rusher Bryce Huff to a three-year, $51 million contract in free agency, as was made clear in the first few weeks of the 2024 NFL season.
Because Huff struggled every week as a pass rusher and against the run, the Eagles placed him at the bottom of their depth chart for the playoffs, and he was a healthy scratch in their triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
Huff’s subpar play ultimately didn’t affect the Eagles defence, which finished as the best in the league the previous season thanks to the unexpected success of their rookie pass rusher, Jalyx Hunt, who wasn’t expected to contribute much.
Hunt, who the Eagles believed Huff would become, was taken by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft from Houston Christian. He could emerge as the elite edge rusher during his second NFL season (2025).
Hunt described his desired play style to reporters on Wednesday, saying, “Honestly, it looks like me getting to the quarterback.” That is what I do. I want to be able to help my teammates, my team, and this organisation in that way.
“So just figuring it out through training camp. That’s what training camp is for. Working on my moves, developing my bag. … Just developing my bag and being able to work the fine details and go into the season with some good rushes.”
For Philadelphia’s defence, the 24-year-old hardly played during the first 11 weeks of the season. But after putting edge rusher Brandon Graham on injured reserve for nine weeks (from Week 13 to the NFC Championship) and Huff on injured reserve for five weeks (from Weeks 12 to 16), the Eagles upped Hunt’s workload, and he continued to get better as a run defender and pass rusher each week.
Hunt had an outstanding Super Bowl performance to cap off his stellar rookie campaign, recording five pressures, four hurries, one quarterback hit, and 0.5 sacks.
“Way more comfortable, man,” Hunt said about his comfort as a pass rusher during OTAs compared to last season. “Last year, it was all coming at you fast. You just try to keep your head (down) and play your roles.
“But now I feel as if, you know, I can understand the game a lot more. I can play within the player that I am and have a little bit more personality out there, instead of being so cookie cutter. So, I am excited about that.”
It was a poor move for Eagles general manager Howie Roseman to overestimate Huff’s ability, but in the long term, his choice to select Hunt, who demonstrated his star potential in the Super Bowl, may make up for it.
If Hunt and the Eagles’ other elite pass rushers frequently sack and pressure opposing quarterbacks this season, Roseman won’t be held accountable for losing out on Huff since most people already don’t care because the Eagles won the Super Bowl.
“I have no clue, man,” Hunt said when asked if the team has greater expectations for him. “I just know as long as I reach my expectations, I’m going to be good wherever. I expect a lot from myself. I work real hard at what I do because I expect a lot from myself.
“So, I’m just going to keep doing what I do, making sure I’m focusing on what I can control. Then, hopefully, it meets everything. Once it gets closer to the season, I’m sure my role on this team will become more defined, and I’ll know exactly what’s needed. But right now, just focused on getting better.”
