PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Thursday was a dreadful night of Philadelphia Eagles football.
But first round draft pick DeVonta Smith's much-anticipated unofficial NFL debut turned into one of the night's few positives in the Birds' 35-0 preseason loss to the New England Patriots at Lincoln Financial Field.
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Smith had two catches on four targets for 19 yards. It would have been five targets, if not for a Patriots penalty.
The catches he made — especially his second — displayed the exciting potential the reigning Heisman Trophy winning wide receiver possesses.
He showcased his quickness, footwork and ability to get open — the last of which is very important to succeeding in the pros.
"It felt good just to get out there, just kinda get back in a groove, just my routine before the game and things like that. Just to get back out there and just kind of get back to myself," Smith said.
Smith missed the preseason opener because of a knee sprain. He and the other main receivers — Jalen Reagor and, presumably, Quez Watkins — played in the first half before taking the pads off after halftime.
Although Smith showed promising ability with his route running, he also had some plays he'd probably like back, regardless of the type of throws quarterback Joe Flacco made.
“I wouldn’t call it rust," Smith said of missing some time during training camp.
"I would say I wasn’t focusing on catching the ball. I mean, trying to look back too fast before I caught the ball.”
"He looked like he was a little antsy at first," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said.
"He dropped a couple balls, and he was a little late with his eyes on the deep ball that Joe threw him. He made a couple plays there. That's what happens with young wideouts. They've got to play and they've got to go through the ups and downs a little bit, and the preseason is for that to happen."
In the end, Smith said he has to focus on catching the ball, and those are plays he needs to make.
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