Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith Banking on Former Relationship to Win This Year

I'm uncertain why the Philadelphia Eagles decided to move on from A.J. Brown, aside from the fact that he was causing some problems off the field. If we're going based on talent, there's no debate that Brown is one of the better players in the NFL. 

The DeVonta Smith situation is also a bit interesting to look out for here, as he has a lot of familiarity with guys on this offense. 

Not only has Smith been in Philadelphia since he was drafted, but he also understands what Jalen Hurts is looking to do on offense, as they were even college teammates. 

Now playing with each other for a very long time outside of a few moments over the past decade, Hurts and Smith understand each other just as well as anybody. Perhaps that's part of the reason why the Eagles decided to move on from Brown.

Speaking to reporters recently, Hurts admitted that because of his experience with Smith, he believes that the chemistry between the two will be just as good as ever.

"It carries over. I've played with (Smith) since I was 17, 18 years old, so that's something to consider when you think about chemistry and the foundation of where we come from," Hurts said, per the team. "Having his presence has always been very valuable, I've always appreciated that and I think as he leads and as I lead, it's just about putting those things together and continuing to improve given all the change that we have in front of us."

"Thought it was a really good spring, being able to onboard another new system and put everything together, lay the foundation," Hurts said. "I'm encouraged by the work that we were able to put in. We've got a fun summer ahead of us, and it'll be a fun training camp."

If there's one situation I'm not too worried about over the remainder of the offseason, it's Smith not being what Hurts is looking for. 

There's always been that one constant in this offense, and it's been Smith over the past few seasons. I'm excited to see what he looks like as a WR1, and even more excited to see what he and Hurts look like as a genuine duo.