Eagles’ Britain Covey vows to protect himself better as he nears his return from a shoulder injury

Sidelined for the last two months with a broken shoulder blade, Britain Covey has craved competition so much that he relished the opportunity to block Brandon Graham in practice on Thursday.

Unsurprisingly, the task of handling the 6-foot-2, 265-pound defensive end didn’t go so well for the 5-8, 173-pound slot receiver.

“But it was fun, still,” Covey said. “I just missed the competition.”

More competition could be imminent for the 27-year-old receiver and punt returner. The Eagles opened Covey’s 21-day practice window on Wednesday, making him eligible to return from injured reserve ahead of Sunday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams (8:20 p.m., NBC10). He was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, his first sessions with the team since sustaining his injury against the New Orleans Saints in Week 3.

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Still, Covey said he didn’t know if the Eagles would activate him for Sunday’s game. If the Eagles determine that Covey is ready, then they have a clear path toward opening up a roster spot. Edge rusher Bryce Huff, who was scheduled to undergo wrist surgery on Thursday, could be a candidate to go on injured reserve. Otherwise, Covey will have up to two more weeks of practice before the Eagles must make a decision.

“[Wednesday] was my first practice,” Covey said. “So my guess is they’ll tell me [Friday]. But it’s up to them. This is my first time being on IR, so I really don’t know if they want to see a full week, two weeks of practice.”

Before suffering his injury, Covey had carved out his most substantial role on offense, in addition to serving as the primary punt returner, of his three-year Eagles career. His seven targets in less than three games (seven receptions for 34 yards) exceeded his total targets in 16 games last season (four receptions on six targets for 42 yards).

But his seventh reception this season spelled trouble. In the second quarter against the Saints, Covey caught a pass in the flat from Jalen Hurts. As he turned upfield and cut toward the sideline, he attempted to run through Saints safety Will Harris instead of stepping out of bounds. Seven games spent on injured reserve later, Covey learned a valuable lesson about protecting himself from the momentum of bigger defenders.

“I might have to run out of bounds a couple more times,” he said. “I probably shouldn’t try to run people over.”

That is, of course, if he wishes to maintain his role in the Eagles offense, which he earned when he made the initial 53-man roster out of training camp for the first time after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Utah in 2022.

“That’s why the timing was pretty unfortunate for me,” Covey said. “I’ve worked really hard to build that trust with Jalen and really have always felt like I could play that Cole Beasley type of role. Guys that I’ve watched my whole life. Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola. So you’ve just got to work back to it. But I pride myself in working on everything in the slot. So hopefully it comes.”

Additionally, Covey has also watched Cooper DeJean take over his role as the punt returner. The rookie cornerback out of Iowa has excelled in the position, amassing 11.8 yards per punt return, which ranks No. 5 in the league.

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Michael Clay, the Eagles special teams coordinator, said Tuesday that it’s “always nice to have two options” at punt returner, avoiding a first-string commitment to either player upon Covey’s return to the lineup. Covey, who ranked second in the NFL last season in yards per punt return (14.4), echoed a similar sentiment.

“Coop is such an incredible athlete,” Covey said. “I’ve just tried to help out as much as I can from the sidelines. Helping out with schemes. Helping out with the gunners and Coop. He’s tough to tackle. So if I’m not up, Coop’s going to keep doing a good job. If I am up, we’ll see what they do.”

While Covey learned the importance of protecting himself through the incident that caused his injury, he also learned a lot about the Eagles by sitting back and observing for the last two months. He was complimentary of Nick Sirianni as he has guided the team from a 2-2 start at the bye week to a six-game winning streak.

“You guys know how it is with Philly and the environment, and it can be a challenge,” Covey said. “I think this team is really equipped to handle difficulties and adversity more so than last year. A lot of it, granted, because of what happened last year, but also I feel like Coach Sirianni’s done a really good job with his messaging.

“This whole week’s message was, ‘Yeah, we’re 6-0 [in the last six games], but it doesn’t matter. Don’t get complacent.' And everyone’s kind of buying into that. It’s a good feeling.”

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It’s a good feeling regardless of the role Covey assumes when he returns to game action, he said: “Let’s just keep that rolling, and I’ll be content.”

The Eagles play in Week 12 against the Los Angeles Rams. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from SoFi Stadium.