Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith wishes the officials would have done more to protect him from the concussion that has had him out since Week Three.
On the play in question, Smith caught a pass, got wrapped up and was being driven backward by multiple players when Saints defensive lineman Khristian Boyd joined in on the gang tackle and hit Smith in the head. Boyd was not flagged on the play but was fined $4,665 by the NFL for the hit.
Smith, who has been cleared to return this week, said he didn’t have a problem with Boyd’s actions but does wish the officials had blown the play dead when his forward progress was stopped.
“I don’t feel like it was a dirty hit,” Smith said, via Zach Berman. “More so, I feel like the whistle should have been blown. . . . I can’t extend the play if I’m moving backwards.”
Smith said he remembers the hit and the immediate aftermath but not what happened after he went to the locker room. He did mention he remembers the support of teammate A.J. Brown, who was out of the game with a hamstring injury and left the sideline to be with Smith.
“I wouldn’t say [it was] scary because I didn’t know what was going on at that moment,” Smith said.
Smith officially cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol on Friday, 19 days after he suffered the concussion.
