PHILADELPHIA — Nolan Smith knew he could play in this league. So did the Philadelphia Eagles, although the results didn’t show up immediately.
Mired in a lost rookie season where Smith couldn’t get on the field, even with the pass rush struggling toward the end of the 2023 slump, the Eagles passer kept things in perspective. His life could have taken another direction, very different from that of football.
“I’m supposed to be in a harbor, I’m supposed to be in the cemetery right now, anchoring boats,” Smith said. “So I go out there and I just want to make my mom proud and the 10 guys next to me proud.
“When they turn on the film, they know 3 is going to fly toward the ball.”
In just one year, Smith set the tone for the Eagles’ defense in Sunday’s playoff victory over the Green Bay Packers. He finished with two sacks, five pressures, two quarterback hits and a 16.7% pressure rate. The guy who couldn’t get on the field a year ago leads the Eagles with 8.5 sacks this season (including playoffs).
In the last four games he played, Smith had 17 pressures and four sacks with a pressure rate of 15.9%. He’s slowly becoming the Eagles’ best passer on the edge, just when the team needed him the most.
“Nolan continues to improve,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. “His teammates love him. He plays hard like I’ve never seen anyone play, and the guy is a physical, physical, physical guy.”
Smith didn’t exactly enjoy immediate success in the NFLdespite being the No. 30 overall pick. He struggled to get on the field, having just nine pressures and 1.5 sacks in 198 snaps. The Eagles admitted Smith should have been on the field more last season and are now seeing the fruits of their labor.
“I think it shows you and everyone patience,” Sirianni said. “Guys might not come in and just become world beaters, even if they were in college. They might not be world beaters right away. It takes time to get there.
“We’ve seen Nolan become this player because of the things he was able to do today to help us win a playoff football game. I can’t say enough about Nolan. I could go on all day this subject.”
Smith is not happy with his turnaround. There is still much to accomplish and improvements can be made.
He’s come a long way since his rookie season, even through the first four games of this year when he was pressured just three times before the bye week.
“It’s just growth, a growth mindset. I can always get better,” Smith said. “There are some things I wish I had done better tonight, so it’s a growth mindset.”
