All eyes will be on the defensive side of the ball for the Philadelphia Eagles..
When free agency begins in March and the 2024 NFL Draft fires up in April. That’s not much different than last year when they lost five starters from their Super Bowl team.
The offense won’t be overlooked, though.
The Eagles need receivers to complement A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Quez Watkins, Julio Jones, and Olamide Zaccheaus are likely gone.
The Eagles signed a few receivers to futures contracts when the season ended, including Shaquan Davis, Jacob Harris, Griffin Hebert, and Austin Davis. And Joseph Ngata was on the practice squad all last season and is being brought back.
Do any of them move the needle for the front office?
Devon Allen finished the year on the practice squad’s injured reserve and is hoping to rehab in time to try to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Then there’s Britain Covey. He is an exclusive-rights free agent who has no interest in going anywhere except back to the NovaCare Complex this spring to begin yet another quest for a pass-catching role.
Britain CoveyJohn McMullen/SI Eagles TodayB
ritain CoveyJohn McMullen/SI Eagles Today John McMullen/SI Eagles Today
“Oh yeah, I wanna be back,” said the former undrafted free agent from Utah. “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Covey was injured during training camp and didn’t get to play in the preseason. He was cut and not brought back until after the opener against the New England Patriots.
Missing that time may have been costly to his chances of contributing as a receiver.
“That really hurt me this year not getting that,” he said. “If they were regular season games I would’ve played. I haven’t missed a game in my two years in the NFL.
“I haven’t missed a game in the last four years of my career, so if it was a “game” game, I would’ve played, but it wasn’t worth it in preseason, even though I feel like it did hurt me not being able to put some receiver reps on tape.”
During that time he spent after being cut, he said, he had two teams contact him about joining them, but he chose not to leave.
“I was considering it,” he said, “but I chose to stay and I’m really glad I did. I love Philly and I love the Eagles organization so I’m really glad I stayed, and I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
Covey will enter his third season after making a name for himself in his first two as one of the league’s top punt returners.
He led the NFL in return yards (725) this past season, averaging 14.4 yards per punt return, and was the only player in the league with multiple 50-plus yard returns.
Covey wants more. He wants a role on offense. He’s had players go to bat for him to make that happen, including one source who said quarterback Jalen Hurts, but their advice wasn’t heeded much, as he finished with six targets and four receptions for 42 yards in his second season.
“The last thing I feel like this team needed this year was someone who wanted more playing time or the ball or something, so I trust them, and I just hope next year I get some opportunities,” he said.
“If you’re one of the better punt returners in the league it’s not just because you’re good at punt return, it’s because you obsess over it, you won your role, and you find ways to do it well. I would do the same thing as a receiver and I think they know that, too. It’s all in it’s time.”
As Covey spoke about obsessing over being a punt return, he pulled out a thick binder stuffed with paper, and dove in.
“Watching film on punt return is so underrated,” he said. “You can find tendencies of players, so I’ll go to Pat (Johnson, I assume) and Eli and be like, every time this guy’s foot is turned a little bit 90 degrees, the punter is punting it here or they’re doing this type of thing, so that’s your key.
“Like I said, just obsess over your role if that’s all you’re doing. If my role’s bigger next year, I’ll do the same thing.
