New Eagles wide receiver Torrey Smith is just as fast as ever.
Just ask him.
"Absolutely," Smith said before he broke into a smile at his Friday afternoon press conference at the NovaCare Complex. "You wanna race? We can go do it.
"All jokes aside, I can still run. I haven't lost a step. I think because I was a part of an organization in Baltimore and we had a lot of success early that people think I'm super old. But I was really young when that was happening. I'm only 28. I just turned 28 in January. I take good care of my body. I'm ready to roll."
The out-of-shape reporter who fired the question to Smith turned down the challenge, but it's pretty safe to say Smith would have smoked him.
The real question is whether Smith will be able to smoke opposing cornerbacks in 2017.
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After all, that's what the Eagles desperately lacked last season. They had just six passes go for 40-plus yards. Since he entered the league in 2011, Smith has 25 receptions of 40-plus yards. Just six players have had more. Eagles de facto GM Howie Roseman was quick to point out that while Smith is a downfield threat, he's also 6-foot, 205 pounds.
When he came out in the 2011 draft, Smith ran a 4.43 time in the 40-yard dash, the fourth-fastest time for a receiver that year. And he thinks he still has top-end speed six years later.
Smith comes to the Eagles on a three-year deal that's reportedly structured in a way that makes it more like a one-year deal with two team options. It's not hard to figure out why that's the type of deal Smith needed to sign.
After signing a huge five-year, $40 million deal to go to San Francisco just two years ago, Smith's production dropped dramatically and he was cut this offseason. Smith caught 33 passes for 663 yards and four touchdowns in 2015. But then in 2016, he caught just 20 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns, all career lows.
"There was a lot of reasons for it, but only one I can control, so I'll just say me," he said. "But I'll just tell you this: I haven't lost a step and I can still play. So don't be surprised."
While he tried to hide it some on Friday, the last two seasons were tough years for Smith. He had two head coaches and the 49ers didn't feature him in their offense.
He admitted it was frustrating to have just 103 targets in his two seasons by the Bay. The fewest he ever had in a single season in Baltimore was 92.
"I probably grew as a player due to those frustrations, experiencing those type of failures because I didn't do what I needed to do," he said. "And I didn't play the way I needed to play. And I take full responsibility for that but it helped me be better while I'm sitting here talking to you now. I'll be ready for whatever comes my way."
There were a few reasons Smith decided to come to Philadelphia. First, he's extremely familiar with vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas and assistant director of player personnel Andy Weidl. Both were in the Ravens' organization when Baltimore drafted Smith in the second round out of Maryland.
Smith said that familiarity was a reason he came to the Eagles because he's confident the team is moving in the right direction.
"Torrey's a player I've had my eye on ever since his Maryland days," Douglas said. "We drafted him in Baltimore in the second round. I hope the city knows they're getting a resilient person, a great teammate, a person that shows up in big games when it matters most, a guy that's definitely going to help this offense, especially with taking the top off defenses."
The other two reasons Smith cited for coming to Philadelphia were that the Eagles really wanted him (they tried to trade for him during the 2016 season) and the chance to play with Carson Wentz. Smith said he's already texted with Wentz and had a chance to meet Jordan Matthews at the facility on Friday.
When Smith left the facility on Thursday after striking a deal, he knew there was a chance the Eagles would sign Alshon Jeffery and was pretty excited when he heard the news.
Smith is the oldest receiver on the Eagles' roster, so he's ready to assume the role of being a veteran leader for the relatively young group outside of Jeffery.
"One thing from [Steve Smith and Anquan Boldin], you give everything you know knowledge-wise so that that person that you're competing with can take your spot," he said, "but you work hard so it doesn't happen."
After all, Smith hasn't lost a step. Just ask him.
