Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith helped win Super Bowl LIX with “The Dagger.” Four months later, the former Alabama All-American pulled it out to stick in the Washington Commanders, an NFC East rival of the Eagles.
Smith did not participate in the voluntary portion of Philadelphia’s offseason program, but at mandatory minicamp this week, the wide receiver met with reporters for the first time since the Super Bowl.
The Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 on Feb. 9 in the NFL championship game for the 2024 season. Smith had four receptions for 69 yards in the game, including a 46-yard touchdown as Philadelphia took a 34-0 lead with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter.
Nicknamed “The Dagger,” the catch made Smith the first Crimson Tide alumnus with a Super Bowl touchdown reception.
At his Tuesday press conference, Smith was asked if the Super Bowl TD was the top catch of his career.
“I would say it’s top three,” Smith said. “… The other two would be two catches against Washington. It’s a lot of them.”
Smith has 44 receptions for 559 yards and three touchdowns in eight games against Washington.
As a Louisiana native, Smith said playing in the Super Bowl in New Orleans came with extra emotions for him.
“I just kind of came out the tunnel, and it just kind of hit me,” Smith said. “I guess it was just, you know, the feeling of just being back home. And my grandfather, he doesn’t come up here to games and things like that, so him being able to see me in the NFL at the biggest game, and him just being there, I think that’s what kind of set in with me. …
“I think, for me, the biggest thing was it just being at home. I think it was just winning at home in front of my family. I think I took that, you know, that kind of hit me harder than just winning it overall, just doing it in front of my family.”
After back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons, Smith had 68 receptions for 833 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024. After missing one game in his first three seasons, Smith missed four in 2024, and he doesn’t want that to happen again.
“At the end of every season, you kind of go back and watch some things,” Smith said, “things that you did really well, things that you need to work on. And, I mean, for me, I had some injuries this year, so that’s probably the biggest thing -- just doing things to prevent having those injuries and things like that. I would say that was the biggest thing for me. …
“You know, just strengthen whatever I need to strengthen. Anything that I had that was bothering me, just strengthen it.”
Although Smith was away from the team during the offseason program, he has chronicled his work to get ready for the 2025 campaign on his YouTube channel.
The minicamp allowed Smith to get a from-the-field look at the Philadelphia offense under new coordinator Kevin Patullo. Kellen Moore, last season’s offensive coordinator, is now the head coach of the New Orleans Saints, and the Eagles promoted Patullo from pass-game coordinator to offensive coordinator.
“It looks good,” Smith said. “You know, guys, football is football, like I always say. Everybody does the same thing, different terminology, so getting down to learning his philosophy, the way he does things, why he does it, and just understanding how he’s thinking.”
The Eagles completed their offseason program this week. The Philadelphia players report for training camp on July 22.
Smith will be on the field before then, though, but a different kind of field. He’s preparing for the fourth annual DeVonta Smith and Friends Celebrity Softball Game on June 28 at Coca-Cola Field in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The event benefits St. Luke’s Hospital, which has multiple facilities in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley.
“I think it’s great just to give the guys a time to step away from football,” Smith said, “to just go out there, just be themselves, and then just to be able to have the community out, you know, do it for those fans, give them something else to enjoy, something to laugh at. You know, some guys are not the best at baseball, so give the fans a chance to come out there and see us do other things.
“And then, ultimately, you know, it’s a fundraiser for the hospital, St. Luke, so just going out there, doing it for the people in the hospital and just being able to give back to the community that way.”
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.