Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith left the field with a concussion Sunday in the win over the New Orleans Saints. Smith was sidelined for a short time afterward, but was able to walk off the field under his own power.
Smith suffered a concussion early in the fourth quarter. He caught a reception from quarterback Jalen Hurts and was quickly pushed backwards for several yards. His forward progress was clearly stopped by two Saints defenders on him, but the Saints’ Malcolm Roach landed a helmet-to-helmet hit on Smith.
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The blow was so powerful that it knocked Smith’s helmet off. With Smith already pinned to the ground and lying on the field, the Saints’ Payton Turner dove on the injured Smith.
The Saints weren’t penalized for the helmet-to-helmet hit on Smith, but Eagles safety CJ Garnder Johnson didn’t hesitate after the play.
“Man, that’s the worst piece of crap I’ve ever seen in football, man,” Gardner-Johnson told reporters after the game, via Tim McManus. “You all saw the forward progression stop. For them to go after one of our key players, it shows what kind of team they are… let’s talk about how dirty they play in their own end.”
“Dude, that’s the most disgusting shit I’ve ever seen in football, man.”
Former Saint CJ Gardner-Johnson reacts to the hit that injured DeVonta Smith. pic.twitter.com/mXKfcYXDMH
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) September 22, 2024
Johnson began his career with the Saints, as the team’s fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Johnson played for the Saints from 2019 to 2021, before the Saints traded him to the Eagles in 2022.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni did not provide an update on Smith after the game.
“He’s one of the toughest guys I know,” Sirianni said of Smith in his postgame news conference. “I’ll keep you updated on his progress. … I hope he’s OK. He picked himself up.”
Gardner-Johnson also took a dig at the Saints, who many considered a team on the rise after starting the season 2-0. “They’re not pretenders, they’re imposters,” Gardner-Johnson said, via Bridget Condon. “Derek Carr remembers that.”
CJ Gardner Johnson yells in the locker room: “These are not pretenders, they are imposters. Derek Carr needs to remember that.”
— Bridget Condon (@BridgetCondon_) September 22, 2024
The Eagles were already without leading receiver AJ Brown, who missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. Brown is coming off back-to-back seasons with 1,400-plus yards, but the Eagles were able to pull off the win without Brown or Smith.
More Newsweek Sports: Eagles to be without key receiver for crucial Week 3 game against Saints
Smith finished with seven receptions for 79 yards before leaving the field with a concussion. Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert had a breakout performance, hauling in 10 receptions for 170 yards to help propel Philadelphia to victory.
