PHILADELPHIA — A football savant doesn’t need to tell you DeVonta Smith is having a good camp.
The emerging star wide receiver has been making catch after catch for the Philadelphia Eagles through seven practices, beating defenders to the catch point and finding ways to get consistently open. This is a player who is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and a contract extension paying him $25 million per year.
Yet for Smith, playing well isn’t enough. There’s always room for improvement.
“You always want to improve your football IQ,” Smith said after Sunday’s practice. “That’s something you can always grow on. So I would say that. Just continue to grow in that.
“There might be situations we have this year that we didn’t run into last year. So situational football and football IQ.”
Smith isn’t buying into his own hype, despite being the player with the most receptions (240) and receiving yards (3,178) after his first three seasons in Eagles history. That comes from Aaron Moorhead, even if he relented toward how well of a camp Smith is having.
“There’s plays I think every year he’s been here he’s left on the field for certain things, and just maybe a technique here, a technique there, and things that would’ve been big play for us in games. He knows that,” Moorhead said. “There are things that happen within a season, within a game, but don’t leave plays on the field.
“Make them and make sure that we’re not putting anything out there on tape that shouldn’t be out there as far as just technique things because he is thin.”
Smith won’t disagree with his position coach.
“Just doing the routine things,” Smith said. “The plays that I left on the field, there were routine things that I wasn’t doing. Making sure that I’m constantly doing the routine things so that I’m capitalizing on every play.”
The relationship between Smith and Moorehead is like peanut butter and jelly. Smith even broke into the reporter’s scrum with Moorhead and got a question in, asking him what makes Smith a great receivers coach.
Moorhead said, “I have great receivers.” Smith is one of them.
“He’s had as good of a camp that he’s had probably since I’ve been here with him,” Moorhead said. “His confidence is through the roof and he’s continuing just to master his craft. He’s getting in that good part of his career that as long as he’s doing the things he’s doing he’s going to be hard to cover.”
Smith could rest on his laurels after two very productive seasons. He wants more.
His measure of success is different than most.
“Making sure I’m doing my job,” Smith said. “If I’m open and the ball doesn’t come to me, for me, that’s a plus because at the end of the day I still did my job. I was open. So just going out there and making sure I’m putting the right things on tape.
“There’s always room for improvement. Every year, you’re gonna find something new that you’re going to want to put in the toolbox.”
