Surprise preseason injury could forge alternate path for Eagles rookie

Ben Brigandi

•
Surprise preseason injury could forge alternate path for Eagles rookie image

Philadelphia Eagles rookie receiver Ainias Smith suffered a setback over the weekend, reportedly expressing discomfort in his ankle and hamstring after Saturday’s preseason finale, a 26-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

If the injury lingers, the Eagles could put Smith, a fifth-round pick, on injured reserve, as the team must cut down to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon.  

The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported this on Monday:

Smith caught a team-high six passes Saturday for 36 yards, seeing his most expansive reps (50 snaps) of the preseason. He caught eight passes for 43 yards on 12 targets through the three preseason games, adding a go-ahead two-point conversion reception in the fourth quarter against the Patriots.

Ben Brigandi

Ben Brigandi Photo

Ben Brigandi is a lifelong professional in sports media, as a writer and editor. Career highlights include covering future pros in high school and even younger, from kicker Robbie Gould in high school to Jurickson Profar, Cody Bellinger, and others at the Little League World Series held in his neighborhood. Born and raised in central Pennsylvania, Ben graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism and covered Nittany Lion games for nearly two decades after attending games as a kid growing up in Happy Valley. He’s seen the Eagles go from hated rivals to his boyhood favorite Washington Commanders to accepting their success as Dan Snyder ruined his fandom. One day, Ben dreams of again playing golf to a legit single-digit handicap, without either putting in the work or sinking pesky 3-foot putts.