Former Georgia star linebacker Nolan Smith showed he had that “Dawg in him” by gutting through an injury during the Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9.
Smith had torn his triceps during the victory and played through it in the second half.
He underwent successful surgery shortly after the big win, and now he's slowly but surely making his way back to the playing field.
"He’s always ready to strike. I love Nolan Smith. He is a tough dude," Sirianni said during Philly's one-day mandatory minicamp.
However, while Smith may feel like he's ready to go full speed at practice, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni won't jump the gun just yet.
"We have great people in this building. It takes everybody. We have great doctors, we have great strength staff and training staff that helps me know that, when they say ‘he’s ready to go,’ he is ready to go," Sirianni said. "I’ve heard a couple of your guys questions about, well, ‘how do you pull this guy back?’ when they’re ready to go? They’re ready to go.
Everybody has an individualized plan to make sure that they’re as healthy as they possibly can be. But the thing that we always have to remember, and you guys always have to remember, is that to put yourself in position to win games, it takes what it takes."
Sirianni emphasized that rehab plans can require more effort than what a healthy player puts in, and that they will never speed up that process.
"You have to put the work in," Sirianni said. "You don’t save anybody for Sunday. Now, there are points in the year where you do, but the guys need to work. They have to work to get better at football. You get better at football because you’re practicing football to get better at it. So obviously, we have an in-depth plan for everybody.
"Obviously major conversations about everybody, but when they’re ready to go and they give us a green light, they got to go. That’s what our players want, too. We got guys that love to work hard and that love the process and the grind, and when he’s ready to go, it’ll go."
Smith, a former first-round pick in 2023, took a big step forward in his second season, racking up 6.5 sacks, 42 tackles, 11 quarterback hits, and 24 pressures.
With Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham no longer in the mix, the spotlight shifts to Smith in 2025. The pressure’s on, but once he’s fully healthy, there’s little doubt that he will be ready to step up.
