The Eagles’ WR1 returns from injury right before facing his former teammate’s new team

PHILADELPHIA — It’s looking like the Eagles will have their new WR1 available when they compete against A.J. Brown’s Patriots in joint practices this week.

DeVonta Smith, after sitting out the last few weeks of training camp with a hamstring injury, was finally back in action on Monday at the Jefferson Health Training Complex.

Smith participated in stretches and individual drills, but did not take part in team drills.

Players wore helmets, shoulder pads and shorts during Monday’s practice, which was viewed as a tune-up for joint practices.

The Eagles have a walkthrough on Tuesday before traveling up to Massachusetts for practices on Wednesday and Thursday.

Smith is the Eagles’ clear-cut top receiver after the Eagles traded Brown on June 1.

While the ultimate goal is to have Smith ready for the Week 1 season opener, getting him back in the mix in New England — where all eyes will be on Brown — would be even better.

Eagles -5.5 point spread is listed at -110 on FanDuel for their Week 1 season opener versus the Commanders. Our complete FanDuel Sportsbook review provides a helpful guide on how to navigate their app. Also, make sure to check out our NFL futures betting guide to learn more about how to bet on NFL futures.

Having Smith out there with Jalen Hurts, competing against the defending AFC champions while growing into Sean Mannion’s offense, would be a welcome sight.

Now, even if Smith returns fully for 11-on-11s this week, he likely won’t go against the Patriots’ top corner.

Christian Gonzalez, the 2024 All-Pro, has missed the last week of practice while negotiating a new contract.

Unless Gonzalez inks a new deal and returns to the field this week, Smith would be going against veterans Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones.

Perhaps Smith will turn some heads against the Patriots — with Brown looking on.

Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.