The Philadelphia Eagles blew a 21-point lead and gave up 24 unanswered points in their 24-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon, but when the anger subsides, they’ll probably turn some of the blame to punt returner Xavier Gipson.
Gipson had one of the most crucial flaws of the game as his fumble on a punt return with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter gave the Cowboys prime field position with the game tied at 21-21. While Dallas didn’t capitalize on the mistake, it flipped the field and allowed Dallas to eventually set up Brandon Aubrey for the game-winning, 42-yard field goal as time expired.
After being cut by the New York Jets for fumbling a punt earlier in the season, there’s a real chance that Gipson, who was averaging 12 yards per punt return coming into the game, may be looking for a new team this week. If that’s the case, the Eagles should turn to a familiar name and elevate Britain Covey from the practice squad.
Eagles Must Elevate Britain Covey After Xavier Gipson’s Latest Mistake
Covey’s tenure with the Eagles has been off and on, but he may be the most reliable punt returner on the roster. After averaging 11.3 yards per punt return over his three seasons in Philadelphia and racking up a league-leading 417 punt return yards with the Eagles in 2023, Covey signed with the Los Angeles Rams this spring but returned to the Eagles’ practice squad after he was waived during roster cutdown.
While he was on standby, the Eagles turned to Gipson, who was claimed off waivers from the Jets after he fumbled a kickoff that led to a touchdown in the fourth quarter of their season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although he’s been suitable in that role, ball security has been an issue throughout his career, with 12 fumbles through his first three years in the NFL.
And while no one can blame the Eagles for rolling the dice on an intriguing young gun like Gipson, the fact that he couldn't hang with the Jets should've been a warning sign.
The Cowboys didn’t directly get points off Gipson's mistake, opting to go for it on fourth down instead of kicking a go-ahead field goal at the time. But blunders like Gipson's could be the difference for a team that has been a high-wire act all season long, especially when the postseason is closer than ever.
If anything, elevating Covey would be some security on a team that’s had a small margin for error, and the Eagles could make the call ahead of Friday’s matchup with the Chicago Bears. Needless to say, all eyes will be on Philly to see if it learned its Gipson lesson in the coming days.