The Philadelphia Eagles will be without their top wide receiver tonight on Monday Night Football as DeVonta Smith has been officially ruled out against the Dallas Cowboys. The wideout has been battling a lingering hamstring injury.
After failing to participate in practice throughout the week, the coaching staff opted to sideline the 27-year-old playmaker rather than risk further structural damage. Head coach Nick Sirianni emphasized that the team prioritizes his long-term recovery.
With fellow wideout Dontayvion Wicks also ruled out due to an ankle injury, Philadelphia enters the rivalry matchup very depleted at wide receiver. Saquon Barkley will be playing vs Cowboys, and it seems like he might need to take the offensive workload.
DeVonta Smith is a huge absence in terms of production
Losing Smith removes Philadelphia’s most consistent and explosive boundary threat. Despite appearing in only four games this season, he leads the Eagles with 310 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 26 receptions.
DeVonta Smith (hamstring) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Cowboys.
— RotoWire Fantasy Football (@RotoWireNFL) October 24, 2026
Via @Eagles pic.twitter.com/ozgec2rmyo
Smith’s polished route running and ability to separate against top cover corners have provided good stuff for Philadelphia’s aerial attack. Hence, without his presence stretching defenses vertically, opposing secondaries can compress coverage.
Who will be the Eagles’ best target vs Cowboys
With Smith sidelined, veteran tight end Dallas Goedert emerges as the primary focal point of the Eagles’ passing offense vs Cowboys. All in all, Goedert has 17 receptions for 180 yards and two touchdowns on the year. Given how the Eagles are using Tanner McKee at quarterback, Goedert should be heavily targeted.
On the outside, young wideout Makai Lemon should get an expanded role too. Lemon has 18 catches for 127 yards in the 2026 NFL season. He should see a sharp uptick in targets as Philadelphia looks to exploit Dallas’ coverage voids.
Key takeaways
- DeVonta Smith has been officially ruled out against Dallas due to a hamstring injury.
- Wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks is also ruled out because of an ankle injury.
- DeVonta Smith leads the Eagles with 310 receiving yards and two touchdowns this season.
