After being without DeVonta Smith for the last two weeks as he’s battled with a hamstring injury, it looks like “Skinny Batman” is heading in the right direction, with the pride of Alabama returning to practice for the Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday.
Initially reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Smith was listed as a full participant on the injury report and, thus, is expected to play in Week 14, when the Eagles welcome the 3-9 Carolina Panthers to town for an afternoon showdown.
Despite only appearing in nine games for the Eagles this season, Smith is having a pretty good season for the seldom-throwing Eagles, averaging 57.3 yards per game as Philly’s WR2, with 516 yards and four touchdowns to his credit. While it might be hard to get to 1,000 years for the third-straight season after missing three games this season, with some bad defenses left on the schedule, you never really know.
DeVonta Smith’s return could offset a Dallas Goedert absence
While signs appear to be pointing in the right direction for Smith heading into Week 14, Dallas Goedert’s status is much more up in the air, as he is considered week-to-week after suffering a knee injury against the Baltimore Raven.
Asked about his status and how a veteran player like C.J. Uzomah could step up to take his place on the field, Sirianni celebrated the former Jet for being a good teammate, even if he hasn’t done much on the field to ingratiate himself to fans in Philly just yet.
“We’ll see on [TE] Dallas [Goedert] as the week continues on. As far as [TE] C.J. [Uzomah] goes, veteran. What a great teammate he is. As you look back and you talk to teams that he’s been on as we got him here on this team, everyone says the same thing: What a great teammate. I think you could ask his teammates, particularly in the tight end room and the offense, what type of guy he is, and they’d say the same thing: Great teammate. Glue guy. Has done some nice things on special teams and has taken advantage of some of the opportunities he’s had,” Sirianni told reporters on Wednesday.
“Had a really good play in four-minute the other day that he came through and led through on a block on a really good player and was able to get movement there. He just brings veteran reliability, and, again, bringing guys together on the football team. And then, he’s had some big production where we know if we can throw him the ball, he can do something with it and make plays. And then what he does as a blocker.”
On paper, if Goedert isn’t able to go in Week 14, the onus would likely fall on Grant Calcaterra, not Uzomah, to step up as the Eagles TE1. With that being said, having a veteran reserve like Uzomah to deploy in 12 personnel or even in heavy packages alongside E.J. Jenkins could prove beneficial down the stretch, as the Eagles will need all hands on deck in Week 14 to avoid a disastrous trap game loss against an ascending Bryce Young.
