Former Eagles wide receiver Britain Covey developed into one of the NFL’s top punt returners during the 2023 season, and he could potentially be great in that area for a long time.
But when the Eagles signed return specialist Avery Williams in free agency and gave him Covey’s No. 18 jersey, it signaled the end of Covey’s three-year tenure with the team.
Covey made his departure official on Sunday when he said goodbye to Philadelphia via an Instagram post. A day later, the Los Angeles Rams signed Covey to a one-year deal.
Philadelphia’s decision to let go of Covey was not surprising.
Covey suffered a season-ending neck injury last December and only played five games during the 2024 season due to multiple injuries (neck and shoulder). His small frame (5-8, 173 pounds) could lead to more durability issues, which made him expendable.
The Eagles don’t want to make cornerback Cooper DeJean return punts again, so they need their punt returner to stay healthy.
Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay won’t have an easy time replacing Covey, who led the NFL with 417 punt return yards in 2023 and was the only punt returner who had more than one return of 50-plus yards.
Williams is the top candidate to replace Covey, but he suffered an ACL tear in 2023 and struggled to bounce back from that injury last season. He went from averaging a league-high 16.2 yards per punt return in 2022 to 9.3 yards in 2024. The Eagles need Williams to be durable and productive again.
