Devonta Smith is heading into 2026 with a different job. After spending most of his career as the Eagles' 1B to A.J. Brown's 1A, the 27-year-old now enters the season positioned as the top receiver in the room, with no one ahead of him in the target pecking order.
That change is drawing attention now because Smith's role is tied to how the Eagles plan to spread the ball in Sean Mannion's scheme. The team has been high on what he can do for months, and there is internal belief that he is ready for a larger workload after years of steady production without ever getting past the 100-catch mark. Last season, Smith ranked 12th in target share at 24.4%, while Brown was 10th at 26.1%. The comparison matters because a jump from the low-20s into the high-20s would push him from a strong secondary option into the range where true No. 1 receivers live.
Smith's offseason also became part of the conversation for a more human reason. He returned from a honeymoon with Mya Danielle that took him to the Eiffel Tower, the Italian Coast, St. Tropez and Greece, and Yo Murphy said the coaches and trainers gave him a hard time while he was away. Murphy said they kept asking whether Smith could stand it, joked that he would be allergic to hanging out for that long, and said everyone was talking trash because they knew he was not training the way he wanted to. For a player whose offseason work is widely respected, the trip only added to the sense that he came back with something to prove.
That has long been the edge in Smith's profile. He has trained with Murphy for six years, and Murphy said Smith keeps moving his workouts earlier and earlier, even if he hides the competitive streak behind a calm face. Those close to him believe the next step is not about effort, but volume. If Mannion's offense gives him the kind of ownership Brown used to absorb, Smith could finally turn steady efficiency into the kind of target share that changes how the Eagles build a passing game around him.
The unanswered piece is not whether Smith can handle the role. It is how far the numbers will climb once the ball starts coming his way more often. Jaxon Smith-Njigba reached 35.8% last season and Puka Nacua got to 28.5%, the kind of company that shows what a featured receiver looks like in a scheme built to feed one primary option. Smith has never had that lane. In 2026, he finally does.
