Britain Covey’s calculated risk for the Eagles pays off in a big punt return against the Buccaneers

TAMPA, Fla. — Holed up in his hotel room before the Eagles’ Monday Night Football matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, punt returner Britain Covey stared at a blank sheet of hotel stationery left on the desk, just as he does before every game.

The words he wrote on that sheet of paper in black ink were the same words he repeated to himself on the sideline at Raymond James Stadium later that night. Covey, the grandson of author Stephen R. Covey, who has written several self-help books including bestseller Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, always chooses five thoughts to scrawl that help him stay motivated during the game. He tucks the sheet into a duffel bag before he heads to the stadium and re-reads it right before the game in the locker room, then again at halftime.

After the Eagles’ 25-11 win over the Buccaneers, Covey dug into his bag and revisited the list of thoughts that kept him focused throughout the game.

“My top one here is to ‘avoid criticism, do nothing,’” Covey read aloud. “If you’re going to try and avoid criticism in your life and things, don’t take risks, do nothing. Be afraid of things like that. That’s not the type of person that I want to be. But it’s hard. It can be difficult. So you’ve got to kind of motivate yourself in that area.”

Avoid criticism, do nothing. No risk, no reward. Covey, an undrafted free agent in 2022 out of Utah who didn’t receive an invite to the NFL scouting combine, understands the importance of not getting complacent and not playing it safe while trying to carve out a role on an NFL team.

In the last two seasons, Covey signed with the Eagles’ practice squad out of training camp and fought for a job on the active roster. Last year, he was signed to the active roster in Week 4 after the team used up his three practice-squad elevations. This time around, the Eagles elevated Covey from the practice squad for the first two weeks of the season before signing him to the active roster on Sept. 19.

On Monday night in his first game of the season as a member of the 53-man roster, Covey took a risk and reaped a big-time reward when he ripped off a career-high 52-yard punt return in the first quarter. But he didn’t take that risk without ample consideration beforehand.

Covey initially thought about bringing the ball all the way back across the field on the first punt of the game to try for a big gain. However, special teams coordinator Michael Clay called a rush of the punter, so the Eagles didn’t have any blockers on one side of the punt formation. Covey opted to stay vertical instead of cutting to that side and registered a 14-yard gain to the Eagles’ 25-yard line.

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“I knew, going back on the sideline and looking at the film, I could see a little tendency of one of their wings of not being disciplined on that side,” Covey said. “And so I said, ‘Next time, I’m going to trust my speed. And even if I have to go back all the way across the field, I’m going to try it.’”

On the next opportunity, Covey fielded a punt with a relatively low hang time from Buccaneers punter Jake Camarda, giving the coverage unit less time to get down the field. Covey caught the ball at the 4-yard line toward the left sideline and cut to the right, evading gunner Derrek Pitts. With the help of his blockers and the Buccaneers’ poor tackling (three missed tackles), Covey sprinted up the right sideline before running back Sean Tucker pushed him out of bounds at the Buccaneers’ 44-yard line.

The return was Covey’s best of his career, shattering his previous high of 27 yards last season against the Tennessee Titans in Week 13. It was the Eagles’ longest punt return since 2020 when Jalen Reagor registered a 73-yard gain for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers.

“Anyone who truly understands special teams and has been watching knows how close we’ve been, dating back all the way to Week 8 [after the bye week] last year,” Covey said. “We’ve had a few where we’re literally one person away from breaking it. And sometimes in order for that to happen on punt returns, everything has to align. So I give the credit to the guys blocking for me.”

Thanks to the defense regularly forcing the Buccaneers’ offense off the field throughout the night, Covey returned a total of three punts for 81 yards. Now, since Week 13 of last season, Covey leads the league with 291 punt-return yards (14.6 average per punt), according to the team. His 13 punt returns of 10-plus yards, nine of 15-plus yards, five of 20-plus yards, and four of 25-plus yards rank atop the league in each category.

But regardless of his success in any given game, Covey plans to show up the next day with the same prove-it mentality that got him to this point in his career. It’s a constant reminder that transcends a sheet of paper to never get too complacent and stop taking calculated risks.

“Even though I’m on the active roster, I’m going to approach it as if I’m a practice squad player trying to earn a spot every week,” Covey said. “That’s just kind of been my whole life story, right? I didn’t get an invite to the combine, undrafted free agent.

“That gives you some fuel. You use it when you need to.”