‘I expected more’: Inside Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith’s relentless approach to reaching the Super Bowl

PHOENIX — Denis Kennedy was awake but in bed at 4 a.m. inside his North Jersey home. It was pouring outside and Kennedy, an NFL photographer, had a scheduled assignment about an hour away in South Jersey.

Struggling to get up — and assuming that the photo assignment might’ve been canceled because of the weather — he received a text message from Marine Corps veteran Gabe Rangel.

“Get down here,” Rangel said. “This mission is a go. Jalen [Hurts], A.J. [Brown], and DeVonta [Smith] will be here soon.”

In his post-military career, Rangel trains several NFL players and athletes. He counts Lane Johnson and Hurts as clients. Upon reading Rangel’s message, Kennedy hopped into his car before sunrise.

This Rangel-led workout in early July was the first joint session featuring Smith, Hurts, and Brown — Smith’s younger brother, Christian, also joined the trio of Eagles offensive weapons. Brown had just arrived to town from his offseason residence near South Florida, as Smith and Hurts suggested the three of them put in work together ahead of the start of training camp.

“I really just want to be great at what I do,” Smith said. “Time was limited with A.J. getting here, time was moving fast.”

That morning, there was a nonstop downpour hovering over Burlington County. The conditions were far from ideal with slippery surfaces, numerous puddles, and a lingering, heavy fog. A majority of the session consisted of steep hill climbs and conditioning work through the muddy terrain.

“I know a lot of guys would not be working out in the rain,” Brown said. “It told you how bad we really wanted it.”

Smith added: “We had to do what we had to do. Rain ain’t never killed nobody.”

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Smith and Brown have reaped the benefits from their offseason work with Hurts. The wide receiver duo became the first in franchise history to record 1,000-plus receiving yards each, while Brown set a record for most receiving yards (1,496), and Smith set a record for most receptions (97). They’ve provided the Eagles offense with a dynamic 1-2 punch, and they’re hoping to excel together in Super Bowl LVII.

“Smitty and A.J. sent a clear message to teammates that ‘You’re either going to get up to our level or you’re not going to be here,’” wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead said. “It showed everybody that we’re here to work.”

Smith was caught up amid a bevy of marketing-related responsibilities leading into last year’s Super Bowl. He recorded multiple commercials from Los Angeles, site of Super Bowl LVI between the Rams and Bengals, and spent many hours visiting with different brands and companies that he has partnered with.

When Smith finally had a minute to relax inside his hotel room, his phone rang. Given the craziness of his schedule, he initially hesitated in picking up. He let his phone ring a few times before answering.

“I’m really glad I did pick up,” Smith says now.

On the other line was Hurts, who felt a sense of urgency in the moment. Just a couple of days earlier, Hurts and Smith had witnessed the Bengals’ Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase storm to an AFC championship and a berth in the Super Bowl.

“We recapped the year we had, not being where we wanted to be,” the 24-year-old Smith recalled of his conversation with Hurts. “We were honestly disappointed in ourselves. I expected more. It was simple. We saw what they did, we knew we could do the same thing. We had to implement that mindset in our game, and work on it in the offseason.”

Hurts spent his offseason training from several locations, from Philadelphia to his native Texas to Southern California. Meanwhile, Smith worked out from his offseason home in Tampa, Fla.

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Smith, who was selected with the No. 10 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, maintained his rigorous training regimen — two-a-day workouts that begin with a 4:30 a.m. alarm. This structure followed his in-season punctuality. During training camp and the regular season, it’s often a race between Smith and Hurts for first arrival each day at the NovaCare Complex.

“I consider myself a hard worker, but I don’t know anybody that works harder,” Smith said of Hurts. “That guy, he takes it to another level.”

Throughout the offseason, Smith regularly communicated with Hurts regarding his individual workouts and also the team’s offensive playbook. Although they were hundreds of miles apart, Hurts would provide Smith with his own feedback and criticism.

“He would keep it straight with me and give me all the answers I need,” Smith said. “He’s helped with small details like not turning my head at the top of the route. ... Going into our second year of the offense, we know what the offense is, we know what to expect. Now we can go out there and play. We don’t have to sit and think about what we’re doing. It’s like second nature to us now.

“It’s taken off.”

Throughout his football career, Smith has delivered under the brightest lights.

As a freshman at Alabama, he hauled in a game-winning touchdown reception in the 2018 College Football Playoff national championship game. As a senior, Smith claimed another ring and he was named player of the game in the 2020 national championship after he recorded a title-game record 12 receptions, 215 yards, and three touchdowns, all in the first half.

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If the Eagles defeat the Chiefs on Sunday in Super Bowl LVII, Smith will become just the fourth player to win the Heisman Trophy, a CFP national title, and a Super Bowl championship.

“I’ve been playing in games like this from Little League to middle school to high school to college,” he said. “I feel like I’m built for games like this. I’ve been playing in games like this all my life. We have to continue the work; we want to keep coming back to Super Bowls.

“To me, it’s really just another game because I’ve been doing this.”

Such is the mindset of a relentless worker. Smith prides himself with winning at the line of scrimmage and all throughout his routes. He consistently emphasizes his footwork and using his agility and deception to get freaky in the open field. Once Hurts tosses him a pass, Smith takes the approach of “my ball or nobody’s ball.”

“Having DeVonta is a blessing for me,” tight end Dallas Goedert said. “His work ethic every day, his releases, his routes, I’ve learned so much over the past two years with Smitty here. He’s an animal out there. He wants the ball because nobody can guard him.”

» READ MORE: How the Eagles’ A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith forged a complementary relationship on and off the field

Smith has spent a majority of Super Bowl week catching up on sleep and studying the team’s game plan against the Chiefs. Just days ahead of the biggest game of his career, Smith is using the same approach that has helped solidify him as one of football’s top receivers.

“I like my chances over anybody that’s in front of me,” Smith said with a smile.