The Philadelphia Eagles are bringing back a familiar face to the 53-man roster ahead of their Black Friday contest against the Chicago Bears, which will excite the fanbase after Xavier Gipson’s latest special teams gaffe in Week 12.
On Wednesday, Zach Berman of The Athletic reported that the Eagles signed wide receiver Britain Covey to the 53-man roster and placed rookie safety Andrew Mukuba on the injured reserve.
Berman pointed out earlier on Wednesday that Gipson was no longer seen in a sling, but wasn’t practicing, which could’ve been an early sign that the Eagles might make a move. With Gipson banged up and Mukuba going on IR, it opened up the door for Covey to return to the 53-man and make his case on why he should be the guy to return kicks for the rest of the season.
Britain Covey Gifted Newfound Opportunity with Week 13 Promotion
It’s been a whirlwind year for Covey, who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles in February, but was not re-signed by the team in free agency. He eventually landed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams in May in hopes of competing for a spot on their 53-man roster.
The 28-year-old wideout didn’t make the Rams’ 53-man roster out of preseason in August, which helped him come back to Philadelphia via the practice squad. Eagles fans were excited that Covey was back on the team, as he was a solid punt return specialist in his three years.
For his career, the undrafted wide receiver is averaging 11.3 yards per punt return, with his best year coming in 2023, when he recorded 417 punt return yards (first in the NFL) and averaged 14.4 yards per return.
With that in mind, Eagles fans were shocked to see the team not go to Covey at the start of the season, as Philadelphia didn’t have a clear return specialist on punt or kick returns. The Eagles had the likes of Jahan Dotson, John Metchie III, and Tank Bigsby all on return duties before they got Gipson in mid-to-late September off waivers from the New York Jets
Gipson hasn’t been bad on punt (11.2 yards per return) or kick returns (25.3), but his miscue vs. the Cowboys in the second half, where he fielded the ball on the one-yard line and got popped for a fumble, which gave Dallas great field position.
The Cowboys didn’t score on their next offensive possession, but it gave them the momentum they needed to get the win. With that in mind, Covey has a chance on Black Friday to be a net positive in the return against a Bears’ team that has won four straight games.
If Covey takes care of the football and gives the Eagles’ offense good field position, he’ll force the hands of head coach Nick Sirianni and special teams coordinator Michael Clay to make a tough decision in Week 14 and potentially the rest of the way.