Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
The Eagles pulled off a surprise today reportedly agreeing to a one year deal with former Giants Pro Bowl WR Steve Smith. Smith had a spectacular 2009 season catching 107 passes for over 1200 yards and was having another big year in 2010 until he had a nasty injury which required microfracture surgery in December.
According to Ruben Frank, Smith may go on the PUP list as the Eagles believe he may not be ready to play until midseason. It’s an interesting move that will probably burn Giants fans pretty bad, but will it actually help the Eagles this year? That really depends on how healthy Smith is. If it’s true that he won’t play until midseason, obviously his impact will only be possible later in the year… but if he’s anything close to the player he was before the injury, that could be a major impact. Smith is an excellent route runner with great hands that was Eli Manning’s favorite target.
Smith was expected to return to the Giants, but he either didn’t like what they were offering or they didn’t like his medical condition. People will call this a “low risk/high reward” signing for the Eagles and it certainly has the potential to be… Although that said, it remains to be seen just how “high reward” a WR coming off major knee surgery that may only be available for a half year could actually be.
