With A.J. Brown's expected trade to New England drawing closer to the June 1 finish line, the Eagles' WR1 of the future is doing the work. NFL insider James Palmer revealed on 'Up & Adams' with Kay Adams this week that DeVonta Smith has spent his offseason preparing for the role with the kind of intentional focus that gets a player's name in front of the entire league.
The Palmer Report
Palmer, citing his offseason reporting around the team, said Smith has been actively reaching out to former NFL receivers for guidance on what it takes to be a true WR1.
"What I have been told this offseason is he has been a man possessed about 'I am going to step into this number one role.' Calling former receivers, asking them about different things this offseason.", James Palmer, NFL insider
That kind of preparation does not show up in highlight reels. It shows up in route-running detail, in how a receiver attacks press coverage in Week 7 against a top-tier corner, in how he handles the increased target volume and the defensive attention that comes with being the centerpiece of a passing attack.
What Sirianni Sees
Head coach Nick Sirianni's reaction to the WR1 transition has been characteristically measured, with one important tell about where the staff thinks Smith's ceiling is.
"We've just scratched the surface with DeVonta Smith. I think we can do so much more with him in this new offense. They truly believe DeVonta Smith can be a one.", Nick Sirianni
'Scratched the surface' is the key phrase. Smith has been an Eagles starter since his rookie year (2021), and across four seasons he has been a model of consistency: precise route running, hands you can trust on third down, the kind of toughness that lets him win contested catches against bigger corners. He has done all of that as the WR2 alongside A.J. Brown. The Eagles staff believes there is meaningfully more to unlock when he becomes the No. 1 read on the call sheet.
The 2025 Trajectory Already Pointed This Way
The handoff was already underway last season. In 2025, Smith led the team in receiving yards (1,008) for the first time since 2021, surpassing A.J. Brown's total. That was not just an outlier game-script result. It was the front office reading a trend and the offensive staff calling more of the game through Smith. The 2026 WR1 transition is the formalization of what 2025 already showed.
The Sean Mannion Wrinkle
The other variable here is Sean Mannion, the new offensive coordinator. Sirianni's reference to 'this new offense' is a tell that the play-calling tree is shifting and that Mannion's design will lean on Smith differently than Kellen Moore's did in 2024 or Kevin Patullo's did in 2025. The pre-snap motion, the route concepts, the splits Smith is given before the snap, all of those are about to look different. A receiver who is studying former WR1s is exactly the receiver you want learning a new system.
The Makai Lemon Effect
It is also worth noting that Smith is not stepping into the WR1 role alone. The Eagles drafted Makai Lemon, the 2025 Biletnikoff Award winner, in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Lemon and Smith reportedly already share a personal connection (the two met at a Sixers game during Lemon's pre-draft visit), and Smith will be the mentor presence in the receiver room. Being the WR1 is not just about catching passes. It is about setting the tone for the rest of the room. Smith's preparation suggests he understands that.
What This Means for 2026
Three things matter from Palmer's reporting and Sirianni's comments:
- Smith's mindset is right. A 'man possessed' receiver who is calling former WR1s for advice is one who has accepted the responsibility and is taking it seriously.
- The staff trusts him. 'They truly believe DeVonta Smith can be a one' is not boilerplate. That kind of internal vote of confidence does not get leaked unless the front office wants it leaked.
- The offense will lean on him. Whatever Mannion designs, Smith is going to be the centerpiece of the route concepts. The volume jumps from a WR2 share to a WR1 share. The targets per game go up.
The Bottom Line
For five years, A.J. Brown was the Eagles' WR1 and DeVonta Smith was the elite WR2. That equation is reversing. The Eagles' offensive staff already trusted Smith. The numbers from 2025 already favored him. And his offseason preparation, per James Palmer, is the kind of work that wins a player respect across an entire league.
If Palmer's reporting holds, the Eagles' 2026 passing game does not lose a WR1 when A.J. Brown leaves. It just promotes one.
