Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith left Sunday’s win over the New Orleans Saints because of a concussion. Smith was taken out of the game shortly afterward, but managed to leave the field under his own power.
Smith suffered a concussion early in the fourth quarter. He caught a pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts and was quickly pushed back several yards. His forward march was apparently stopped by two Saints defenders, but the Saints’ Malcolm Roach hit Smith with a helmet-to-helmet punch.
Gus Stark/Getty Images
The blow was so strong that Smith’s helmet was ripped off. After Smith had already fallen to the ground and was lying on the field, Saints’ Payton Turner pounced on the injured Smith.
The Saints received no penalty for the helmet-to-helmet hit on Smith, but Eagles safety CJ Garnder Johnson did not hold back after the play.
“Man, that’s the dirtiest shit I’ve ever seen in football, brother,” Gardner-Johnson told reporters after the game about Tim McManus. “They all obviously saw the drive stopped. For them to attack one of our key players so unfairly shows what kind of team this is… let’s talk about how they play dirty on their side.”
“Man, this is the dirtiest shit I’ve ever seen in football, dude.”
Former Saint CJ Gardner-Johnson reacts to the hit that injured DeVonta Smith. pic.twitter.com/mXKfcYXDMH
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) 22 September 2024
Johnson previously began his career with the Saints, as the team’s fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Johnson played for the Saints from 2019-21 before the Saints traded him to the Eagles in 2022.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni had no update on Smith after the game.
“He’s one of the toughest guys I know,” Sirianni said of Smith during his postgame press conference. “I’ll get an update on how he’s doing… I hope he’s OK. He got up on his own.”
Gardner-Johnson also tried to attack the Saints, who many considered a breakout team after starting the year 2-0. “They’re not contenders, they’re blinders,” Gardner-Johnson said of Bridget Condon. “They have Derek Carr, that’s important to remember.”
CJ Gardner Johnson shouts in the locker room: “These are not contenders, they are fakes. They have to remind Derek Carr of that.”
— Bridget Condon (@BridgetCondon_) 22 September 2024
The Eagles were already without their top wide receiver AJ Brown, who missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. Brown has rushed for over 1,400 yards in two consecutive seasons, but the Eagles managed to win without Brown or Smith.
More Newsweek Sports: Eagles will be without key wide receiver in decisive game against Saints in Week 3
Smith ended up catching seven passes for 79 yards before leaving the field with a concussion. Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert had a great performance, catching 10 passes for 170 yards to help Philadelphia win.
