The Philadelphia Eagles have ruled out wide receiver DeVonta Smith for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams because of a hamstring injury, according to CBS Sports. Smith did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, and his status had been in question for days before Philadelphia made it official Friday.
Smith played through the hamstring issue in Week 3, logging all 50 offensive snaps in a loss at Chicago and finishing with six catches on eight targets for 65 yards. The injury worsened enough during the week that he could not return to practice, closing the door on a repeat of his late-week ramp-up from a week earlier.
What the team and sources said
ESPN’s Tim McManus reported that there was not “much optimism” Smith would play against the Rams. NFL insider Mike Garafolo had described Smith as “legitimately questionable.” Bo Wulf of the PHLY Eagles podcast reported hearing that Smith could miss multiple weeks.
“I heard at the beginning of this week that DeVonta is likely to miss this game and maybe another one. Could be a two or three week hamstring injury,” Wulf said. The Eagles have not put a firm timeline on Smith’s return beyond ruling him out for Week 4.
Who replaces him
With Smith out, Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon will be the primary wide receivers for quarterback Jalen Hurts. Wicks has nine receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown this season, while rookie Makai Lemon figures to see a bigger workload. Philadelphia is also without tight end Dallas Goedert, who suffered an MCL sprain in Week 2, and Hollywood Brown has missed practice time. Other healthy receiving options include Darius Cooper, Elijah Moore and Britain Covey, with Zach Ertz in a backup tight end role.
DeVonta Smith’s role in Eagles offense
Smith has been Philadelphia’s clear top target through three games, catching 19 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown. His best outing came in a Week 2 win over the Tennessee Titans, when he caught 10 receptions for 117 yards and his only touchdown of the season. Before this week, Smith accounted for roughly one-third of the Eagles’ targets and receptions, more than one-third of their receiving yards, one-fifth of their receiving touchdowns and just over one-third of their receiving first downs, according to Yahoo Sports.
What’s next
The Eagles host the Rams on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Philadelphia will need Wicks and Lemon to carry a thinned-out passing game against a Los Angeles defense that will be without defensive end Aaron Donald, who was ruled out with a sore back.
More on Sunday’s matchup, including the return of Rams receiver Puka Nacua, is available in the Rams vs. Eagles preview. The next update on Smith’s hamstring is expected to come next week as the Eagles turn to practice reports ahead of their following game.
Reporting from CBS Sports, FOX Sports, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report contributed to this story.
