To say the Philadelphia Eagles' 2026 season is already off the rails would be an understatement.

Where do I even start? Jalen Hurts is out for the rest of the year as he recovers from scary blood clots. A once championship-caliber defense is a shell of itself. And as the Eagles sit at 2-4 ahead of a Monday night home game against the Dallas Cowboys, it's becoming clear that head coach Nick Sirianni probably doesn't have the answers to save his team.

It gets worse. With backup quarterback Tanner McKee starting on Monday night, the Eagles will also be without their best receiver, DeVonta Smith, as he recovers from a hamstring injury. Woof. That can be the worst kind of obstacle for a playmaker because soft-tissue injuries are usually so tricky:

As for when Smith might come back, well, he's probably going to be out a while. He just pulled his hamstring in Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers. Depending on the type of strain Smith suffered, it's safe to say he'll probably miss the next few games at a minimum. When factoring in that the Eagles have nothing to gain by rushing Smith to return in what already feels like a lost season, his absence could be even longer.

My best guess for when Smith might come back to Philadelphia's lineup would be on Thanksgiving, also ironically against the Cowboys. That would give him roughly five weeks to recover from his hamstring injury. If the Eagles want to be more cautious, a game against the Arizona Cardinals the following week on Sunday, December 6th, would also make sense.

However long Smith takes to recover, the Eagles better be sure he's ready and 100 percent.

Who is DeVonta Smith's backup on the Eagles?

Darius Cooper is listed as Smith's backup on the Eagles' official depth chart. He's in his second NFL season after being undrafted in 2025.