Eagles Defender Calls Out Saints For 'Dirty' Hit That Led to WR DeVonta Smith's Concussion
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith exited Sunday's win over the New Orleans Saints early with a concussion . Smith was ruled out of the game soon after but managed to walk off the field on his own.
Smith suffered a concussion early in the fourth quarter. He caught a reception from quarterback Jalen Hurts and was quickly pushed backward several yards. His forward progress had clearly been stopped with two Saints defenders on him, but Saints' Malcolm Roach delivered a helmet-helmet hit on Smith.
The hit was so powerful that it knocked Smith's helmet off. After Smith was already long tackled down and lying on the field, Saints' Payton Turner dove over the injured Smith.
The Saints did not receive a penalty for the helmet-helmet hit on Smith, but Eagles safety C.J. Garnder Johnson did not hold back after the game.
"Man, that's the dirtiest s—- I ever saw in football, bro," Gardner-Johnson told reporters after the game, via Tim McManus . "You all obviously saw forward progression to a stop. For them to take a cheap shot at one of our key players, it goes to show what type of team that is ... let's talk about how they're playing dirty on they side."
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 did not have an update on Smith after the game.
"He is one of the toughest dudes 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 okay. He got up on his own."
Gardner-Johnson also took a shot at the Saints, who many saw as a breakout team after they began the year 2-0. "They ain't no contenders they're pretenders," Gardner-Johnson said, via Bridget Condon. "They have Derek Carr remember that."
The Eagles were already without top wide receiver A.J. Brown, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. Brown is coming off back-to-back seasons with over 1,400 yards, but the Eagles managed to earn the win without either Brown or Smith.
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Smith finished with seven receptions for 79 yards before leaving with a concussion. Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert stepped up with a huge performance, catching 10 receptions for 170 yards to help propel Philadelphia to the win.
