Eagles place Britain Covey on injured reserve and have to replace him on punt return and at receiver

The Eagles placed Britain Covey on injured reserve Tuesday, keeping the wide receiver sidelined for at least the next four games after he suffered a shoulder injury in the victory against the New Orleans Saints.

Covey, the third-year punt returner who had assumed an increased role in the offense this season, was hurt in the second quarter and was seen after the game with his left arm in a sling. Through three games, Covey had a career-high seven receptions for 34 yards.

The NFL updated its injured reserve rules for this year, allowing teams to designate up to eight players to return during the regular season. As it was before, once a player is cleared to practice after sitting out for a minimum of four games, the team has a 21-day window before the player must be activated to the 53-man roster or placed on season-ending injured reserve.

With Covey sidelined, Cooper DeJean is a candidate to assume his role as the punt returner. The second-round pick out of Iowa was lauded for his skills on returns leading up to the draft, averaging 11.5 yards per attempt last season and scoring a 70-yard touchdown against Michigan State.

DeJean stepped in for Covey against the Saints, making one fair catch and returning one punt for 6 yards to the Eagles’ 15-yard line in the third quarter.

“Very fundamentally sound,” special teams coordinator Michael Clay said Tuesday about DeJean. “He tracks the ball very well, in terms of seeing it off the punter’s foot. Being thrust in there against a very good special teams unit, I don’t think he blinked.”

Still, Clay would not officially name DeJean as the punt returner for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Isaiah Rodgers, a 26-year-old cornerback, is listed on the depth chart at punt returner behind DeJean.

With Covey on injured reserve, the Eagles signed Jack Stoll to the active roster in his place. Stoll, a 26-year-old tight end, joined the Eagles practice squad on Aug. 28 following a training-camp stint with the New York Giants.

An undrafted free agent out of Nebraska in 2021, Stoll has spent all four years of his career with the Eagles. He was a practice squad call-up for the first time on Sunday and played 13 offensive snaps, most of which came in run-blocking scenarios, according to Pro Football Focus.

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The Eagles filled the open spot on the practice squad by signing John Ross, a 28-year-old receiver who was cut at the end of training camp. Ross had originally signed a contract with the team after appearing at rookie minicamp on a tryout in May.

The No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Washington by the Cincinnati Bengals, Ross has not appeared in regular-season action since Dec. 12, 2021, when he was a member of the Giants. Ross adds depth to the receiving corps with Covey, A.J. Brown (hamstring), and DeVonta Smith (concussion) injured.