What Is The Impact On Eagles With Star Receiver Out?

PHILADELHPHIA – It’s been encouraging to see Jahan Dotston step up the past three Eagles games because his role could possibly grow with DeVonta Smith being ruled out of Sunday night’s primetime matchup against the Rams at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium.

Maybe there’s another touchdown in the future of rookie sixth-round pick Johnny Wilson, one he can add to the collection he began building in Dallas two weeks ago with the first one of a career that figures to have some more.

“Both of them have made some big plays in the past couple weeks,” said head coach Nick Sirianni. “And then the things that we see in practice. These guys come to work hard every single day. They put it on the line every single day. They have had good practices throughout the week, and we're excited about their possibilities if they need to go. And we've had some good experiences with guys this year that have stepped in and contributed, and that's an awesome part of a team.”

Maybe Britain Covey is added to the mix, though the receiver was listed as questionable for the game with a shoulder injury that cost him the last seven games. He would have to be added to the 53-man roster for that to happen, too, but that could happen after the Eagles put defensive end Byrce Huff on injured reserve on Friday.

The Eagles could also elevate a receiver from the practice squad such as Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint or Danny Gray. There's also Parris Campbell, but he is out of PS elevations and would need to be added to the roster.

So, the Eagles are well-fortified to bear the loss of Smith in the short-term. The long-term could be a different story.

It wasn’t encouraging that Smith had been listed with a hamstring injury leading up to the past two games and was seen limping after Philly beat the Commanders last week. It’s also not a good sign that he had 10 days to recover from the 26-18 win over Washington and that he did not practice at all this week.

He wasn’t even seen on the practice field during the time that practice was open to reporters. That’s not abnormal, however, but it means he was probably taking treatment inside the team’s training facility.

Asked about the possibility Smith would not play, A.J. Brown said, “I think the challenge is always going to be, just going out there and executing regardless of who’s on the field.”

In the Eagles 23-14, Week 5 win in L.A. last season, Smith had only one catch for six yards but was targeted five times.

This will be the second game Smith misses this season. He missed the loss in Tampa in Week 4, but Brown missed that game, too. Dotson had just two catches for 11 yards in that loss to the Buccaneers. Tight end Dallas Goedert had seven catches and Campbell four.

That was nearly two months ago, however. Dotson has presumably grown more in the offense and developed better chemistry with quarterback Jalen Hurts. Dotson has one catch in each of the past three games for a total of 71 yards, with nice downfield hauls for 36 yards vs. the Jaguars and 27 yards vs. the Cowboys.

Wilson has played just 18 and 13 snaps, respectively in the last two games after logging a career-high 35 against the Jaguars. His snap count figures to look more like the game vs. Jacksonville that the previous two.

“They’ve been doing a great job, working hard and making plays, most importantly, when their number is called,” said Brown. “Their numbers aren’t called as much, but they’ve been making plays. That’s what you can ask for.”