Arryn Siposs and Britain Covey may be on the Eagles’ practice squad, but they’re ready for any situation
The duo could be called up for Sunday's season opener at the New England Patriots. Teams can call up each practice-squad player for a game three times throughout the season.
On Aug. 29, Britain Covey was watching the movie Little Giants with his wife, Leah, over FaceTime to keep his mind off the uncertainty of cutdown day.
The distraction didn’t last long.
Covey, the Eagles’ punt returner as a rookie last season, soon learned that he was among the roster cuts, a frustrating conclusion to a frustrating training camp. He dealt with a hamstring injury throughout camp that left him sidelined and unable to compete for a role on the initial 53-man roster in the preseason. But the Eagles weren’t giving up on Covey, and explained to him that they were going heavy at other position groups and that they were interested in signing him to the practice squad.
“I totally understand the thought process behind why I was cut,” the 26-year-old said Wednesday after practice. “If I were in their shoes, I could totally see myself doing something similar. No one’s gonna claim me off waivers because I was injured all preseason, too. So I think it was, on their part, probably a smart decision. Not a decision I love, but a decision I totally understand.”
Sure enough, the 5-foot-8, 173-pound receiver passed through waivers, and the Eagles signed him to their practice squad on Aug. 30. Covey still provides the Eagles an option to return punts on Sunday in their season opener on the road against the New England Patriots if the team elects to promote him from the practice squad. NFL teams can call up each practice-squad player for a game three times throughout the season, but must sign the player to the 53-man roster on the fourth occasion.
Covey is well acquainted with the logistics of it all. Last year, he signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of Utah and was cut at the end of camp. The Eagles added him to the practice squad and elevated him for the first three games of the season until they signed him to the active roster on Oct. 1 for the rest of the season. He returned 33 punts for an average of 9.3 yards, as well as 10 kicks for an average of 20.6 yards, and did not commit any turnovers.
This year, Covey wasn’t the only specialist exposed to waivers on cutdown day — punter Arryn Siposs also was cut and signed to the practice squad the following day. Siposs had beat out his competition earlier in camp, Ty Zentner, whom the Eagles released on Aug. 19. However, Siposs fell short of securing a spot on the initial 53.
“It’s never a fun time for anybody in that situation that gets put in those circumstances,” he said. “But I think it’s just all about how you respond going forward. And that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.”
Siposs said he isn’t changing his approach this week despite being a member of the practice squad. He’s continuing to compete in practice, determined to build on the positives of his two seasons with the Eagles so far while moving on from the negatives, including his shanked punt in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVII — “That one moment doesn’t define who I am,” he stressed. That was his first game back from an ankle injury he suffered in Week 14.
The 30-year-old from Melbourne, Australia, may not currently have internal competition like he did with Zentner, but the Eagles appear to be doing their due diligence to evaluate the market. Last Thursday, the Eagles reportedly worked out a trio of punters including former Nittany Lion Blake Gillikin. Regardless, Siposs said he’s preparing as if he’s getting elevated to the game-day roster on Sunday.
“That’s all there is to it,” he said. “I wouldn’t be doing myself any justice if I wasn’t going about it in that way. We’re all professionals here. There’s been a lot of people that go through this kind of stuff. But when your number’s called upon, ready to go, that’s what I plan on doing.”
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Covey understands that whether or not he gets elevated on Sunday is out of his control. However, he is able to control is his performance in practice. Covey has rejoined the Eagles on the practice field and is relishing being able to feel like himself again instead of cooping up in the training room while rehabbing from his injury. Even though he doesn’t get live reps as a punt returner in practice, he pores over film of himself and of other returners across the league to hone his craft.
Plus, it helps to have a friend to lean on to get through the unknown. Siposs described himself and Covey as “great mates,” supporting each other on and off the field.
“I don’t know what calls are going to be made or anything like that,” Siposs said. “But I know he’s ready. He proved that last year. There’s no reason why he can’t do that again.”