PHILADELPHIA — If there was ever a hold-your-breath moment for the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders, it was the sight of DeVonta Smith leaping between defenders for a catch that had meaning only because of its milestone.

The 27-yard catch that put Smith over 1,000 yards for the season was vintage Slim Reaper. Few NFL wide receivers are as willing to sacrifice their body for the sake of a catch as Smith — much less those whose lanky frames are officially listed at 6 feet, 170 pounds. That Commanders defensive backs Jeremy Reaves and Jonathan Jones both fell upon Smith embodied both the risk of the Eagles’ decision to play Smith and the respect the fifth-year receiver deserves in spite of the statistics that don’t tell his full story.

And that latter point is the best place to begin this story. Smith is beloved in Philadelphia, but understated nationally. The viral headlines and round-table takes focus on Smith’s locker mate, A.J. Brown, the three-time All-Pro whose 2022 acquisition ended Eagles general manager Howie Roseman’s yearslong quest to supply his quarterbacks with premier pass-catchers. Less told is the tale of how Roseman traded up two spots to pick Smith, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, No. 10 in 2021. Nor of how Smith set the franchise rookie record for receiving yards in a Week 18 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. (Smith left that game early, too.)

Smith’s legacy was not defined by the three catches and 52 yards he recorded Sunday — an eventual 24-17 loss that Smith exited after surpassing the 1,000-yard mark during Philadelphia’s second possession. Not to anyone who has actually watched him play.

“It changes nothing that I know about him,” said Britain Covey, a third-year wide receiver and return specialist. “Obviously, Smitty is a No. 1 receiver in the NFL.”

But recite that quote on any rush-hour radio talk show outside the Delaware Valley, and Covey’s assertion obviously will be contested. The Eagles know Smith is undervalued. In November, Saquon Barkley told reporters, “I feel like people forget that he won the Heisman.” Smith himself has seen how the narrative around him shifts after the seasons in which he records 1,000 yards and the ones in which he doesn’t.

“It is what it is,” Smith said with a shrug at his locker.

Milestones matter in sports lore. They offer a clean threshold for disputes over greatness, no matter how arbitrary they are. That capricious quality is why most organizations outright denounce a milestone’s influence on immediate decisions. That is why if Smith had been playing for any other head coach, it is uncertain whether he would have dressed out on Sunday at all.

But Nick Sirianni is unusually mindful of his players’ personal records. Smith said Sirianni asked him if he wanted to play. Smith said yes. There was no contract incentive for Smith to gain 1,000 yards this season. And Smith’s availability had nothing to do with Philadelphia’s shot at leveling up to the No. 2 seed. (The Eagles would have left Smith in for the full game if it had.) Smith understood there was a risk of injury in playing any number of snaps.

“If God wants it to happen, it’s going to happen regardless,” Smith said.

Sirianni allowed Smith to play within an early game plan that seemed designed to fulfill Smith’s milestone as quickly as possible. Backup quarterback Tanner McKee targeted Smith four times in his nine plays. On the first play of the game, McKee struck Smith on a 17-yard route along the right sideline. Four plays later, McKee threw a similar route on a third-and-9 out of bounds. On the second possession, McKee hit Smith on a 6-yard hitch. McKee did not target anyone other than Smith while he was in the game.

“We had multiple plays dialed up for him,” Covey said. “We were just hoping. So, it was pretty funny.”

The plays Nick Sirianni and the coaching staff had for DeVonta Smith seemed designed to get him to his milestone early in the game. (Bill Streicher / Imagn Images)

Sirianni said the Eagles “were safe” with Smith within the routes they called for him. That included the third-and-1 play-action pass that produced Smith’s final catch. Smith ran up the right seam for about 15 yards, then broke to the right sideline. A throw in that area could arguably be deemed safe on the chalkboard. But Smith’s instincts could not be curbed. He leaped for what wound up being a jump ball — a catch that he has made a personal trademark.

“I’m just doing my job,” Smith said. “I tell the quarterbacks all the time, it’s my ball or nobody’s ball. And they put the trust in me to just sometimes give me chances.”

The care the Eagles had for Smith’s health was made evident by the first words he said he received when he returned to the sideline.

“Everybody told me to get the hell out,” Smith said.

Smith got his moment. He’d just buttoned his svelte purple suit and straightened his lavender tie. He was Philadelphia’s leading receiver for the first time since 2021. He made it seem obvious why anyone would ever want to gain 1,000 yards — no matter the risk.

“I feel like that’s something that everyone wants to accomplish,” Smith said.

Sunday’s decision was consistent with how Sirianni handled other milestones. During a blowout win against the New York Giants in 2024, Sirianni asked Barkley, who was 13 rushing yards away from his single-game high, if he wanted to stay in and surpass the mark against his former team. (Barkley declined.) When asked in December 2023 about fostering fun in the locker room, Sirianni recalled how he’d taken Smith out of that 2021 finale — and how he wished he hadn’t because Smith still fell shy of 1,000 yards on the season.

When the decision was left up to Sirianni, he handled it more conservatively. Barkley was 101 yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record when Sirianni chose not to play Barkley in the 2024 regular-season finale. Sirianni asked for Barkley’s input, and although Barkley told him “I’m down,” Barkley also said he’d leave the decision to Sirianni to do what was best for the team.

If it had been completely up to Sirianni, Smith likely would not have played at all. Jahan Dotson and right guard Tyler Steen were the only other offensive starters who played against the Commanders, and backup Matt Pryor eventually replaced Steen. The Eagles entered the weekend with a shot at improving their playoff seed from No. 3 to No. 2 (if they beat the Commanders, and if the Detroit Lions beat the Chicago Bears), but Sirianni placed greater value on resting his most important players.

“One thing I could guarantee was giving them rest,” Sirianni said. “I couldn’t guarantee anything else.”

Sirianni’s players’-coach tendencies allowed him to bend his own rules by playing Smith. It is clear he had no intention of keeping Smith in the game any longer than needed. The Lions seized an early 13-0 lead in an eventual 19-16 win over the Bears, and Smith could have been the catalyst for an Eagles offense that stalled while squandering a 17-10 lead. Smith said staying in for the full game was not an option. Sirianni’s decision signaled the Eagles believed they could still win with their backups.

“I think he just wanted that guaranteed rest for the guys and had confidence that us backups could get it done,” Covey said. “And so sadly, we didn’t today. That’s tough to swallow.”

Sirianni needed to look no further than the 2023 finale for a worst-case scenario when teams field their best players.

The 2023 Eagles lost Brown for their brief playoff run when he injured his knee in the first quarter of what ended up being a meaningless Week 18 loss to the Giants. A dysfunctional offensive system was subsequently rendered feckless in a 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC wild-card round. The persistent problems that have plagued first-time offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s system this season make it inarguable that Smith’s postseason availability is more important than his 1,000-yard season.

Those risks are now pushed to the next player milestone Sirianni manages. For now, Smith gets to relish both the health and the wealth of the third 1,000-yard season of his career.

“I’m grateful that he allowed me to do it,” Smith said.