As the Philadelphia Eagles prepared for their Week 1 matchup against the Washington Commanders, the veteran wide receiver Britain Covey spent the week as a member of the practice squad.
Although Covey didn’t make the final roster after training camp, the Eagles wanted to keep him close. They showed exactly why on Saturday, as the Eagles made a shocking roster move.
The rookie tight end Eli Stowers was sent to the injured reserve, as he suffered a second injury ahead of the Week 1 action. As a follow-up move, the Eagles elevated Covey to the active roster.
Suddenly, the veteran wideout goes from not having a roster spot to having a Week 1 role.
“Missed in this: the Eagles have also elevated Britain Covey. He will return punts,” Eagles reporter Cayden Steele said. “The Eagles also desperately need to add a tight end. It’s a thin position.”
The Eagles Make The Obvious Move
For the past few seasons, Covey has returned punts for the Eagles.
While the Eagles didn’t want Covey taking up an initial roster spot, they didn’t find a replacement for his position.
In addition to Covey, the Eagles have explored Cooper DeJean and Makai Lemon as options to return punts, but those two would be a gamble.
Lemon is a rookie who missed a chunk of his first offseason with the team. He is still working to get up to speed, and the last thing the Eagles need to do is add more to his plate.
As for DeJean, he is simply a defensive star. After already developing into an All-Pro in year two, DeJean holds way too much value on the defensive side of the ball. With the Eagles adding safety to his plate, becoming a return man simply feels like a lot for the young star at this stage.
Covey is obviously the best option.
Britain Covey’s NFL Career
Covey has been a part of the Eagles since the 2022 NFL season.
He has appeared in 44 games. In the return game, Covey has fielded 79 punts for 895 yards. When it comes to kick returns, he has 16 returns for 361 yards, averaging 22.6 yards per return.
The Eagles haven’t verbally confirmed that Covey is the return man for the Week 1 game against the Washington Commanders, but all signs point to that being the case.