How Can A.j. Brown And Devonta Smith Be Replaced?

Brown returned to practice Friday after missing two straight games with a hamstring injury. It’s not known yet if he’ll be able to play Sunday. Smith suffered a concussion last Sunday in the fourth quarter of the Eagles’ 15-12 win over the Saints. Smith is in the NFL’s concussion protocol and has not practiced at all this week. He would have to be cleared by an independent neurologist in order to play.

Brown and Smith’s injury consequences

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “Everyone has their strengths, and everybody has their weaknesses. You try to help these guys as much as you possibly can, play to their strengths.” The Eagles might lean toward a cautious approach with both because the Eagles have their bye week after playing the Buccaneers.

The Eagles are further short-handed after placing Britain Covey, who also serves as a punt returner, on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Covey is expected to miss about six weeks. But Dotson, Wilson and Campbell, and potentially John Ross, who was signed to the practice squad this week, can play an important role for the Eagles while preventing the Bucs from focusing on quarterback Jalen Hurts, running back Saquon Barkley and tight end Dallas Goedert.

That’s why, when Hurts was asked if the offense needs to be reinvented and changed without Brown and Smith, responded: “I don’t think those are the words. I think that everybody is here and has something that makes them great, so it comes down to putting them in positions to shine in the places they excel.”

Neither Dotson, Wilson, nor Campbell could saved the game

We have already seen that after Smith left the game. With the Eagles trailing 12-7 and facing a third-and-16 from their 35 with a little more than a minute left, Hurts threw over the middle to Goedert. But Campbell, running a mesh route from the other side, got three Saints players to collide, enabling Goedert to continue up the sideline until he was pushed out of bounds at the Saints’ 4-yard line.

On the next play, Saquon Barkley scored the game-winning touchdown. Dotson somehow managed to avoid making contact with any of the Saints’ defenders, which would have been an offensive pass interference penalty.

“I was actually trying to get in the way of Dallas’ guy,” Dotson said. “I actually didn’t know all three guys were gonna be there, so it was pretty cool. It sprung a big play for us. … In this league, basically, the refs are waiting to call (pass interference). It was a fine line we had to work all week, and I just threw an alley-oop to (Goedert), and he dunked it.”

That play was bigger than any catch Dotson had (he had only two for 13 yards against the Saints). And even though Dotson was a first-round pick of the Commanders in 2022, that’s probably what the Eagles can expect from him going forward.