The Philadelphia Eagles just caught the break they desperately needed heading into their massive Black Friday showdown.
After a week of panic, fear, and rampant speculation that star wide receiver DeVonta Smith would miss the pivotal Week 13 clash against the Chicago Bears, the Eagles received the best possible news on Thanksgiving night: **Smith is OFF the injury report and will play.**
ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the story Thursday evening:
“Eagles WR DeVonta Smith is off the injury report and good to go Friday vs. the Bears.”
The scare started in the Eagles’ Week 12 loss to Dallas when Smith took a brutal hit that left him with chest and shoulder injuries — plus a viral backflip-style 450-degree diving grab that lit up social media but also left fans holding their breath. Add in a late-week illness, and many assumed the Slim Reaper’s streak of availability was over.
They were wrong.
In a season where A.J. Brown has battled inconsistency and the Eagles’ passing attack has often looked disjointed, DeVonta Smith has been the one constant. The $75 million man (three years, signed before the 2024 season) has been nothing short of spectacular in 2025, putting to bed any pre-season chatter that he was overpaid or due for regression.
Remember when Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon labeled Smith Philadelphia’s “most overpaid player” entering the year? Yeah… that take aged like milk left out in the July sun. Smith has already torched defenses all season, including a career-best 9 catches for 183 yards against Minnesota, and now looks poised to torch a Bears secondary in a game that suddenly feels like a playoff preview — two 8-3 teams slugging it out on national TV.
When Smith and Brown are both healthy and clicking, the Eagles still boast arguably the NFL’s scariest wide receiver duo. And on Friday, they’ll both be on the field.
For a franchise that’s spent much of 2025 searching for offensive identity, getting the Heisman Trophy winner, two-time national champion, and Super Bowl champion back in the lineup is the kind of jolt that can swing an entire season.
The Slim Reaper is alive, well, and ready to haunt Chicago.
Buckle up, Philly. Black Friday just got a whole lot greener.