Eagles receiver Britain Covey works on breaking free as he fights for a spot

Britain Covey knows how important separation can be.

After spending the last two seasons as a return specialist with an extremely limited offensive role for the Eagles, Covey is working this summer to prove he can bring value as a complementary receiver for an offense in desperate need of one. In order to do so, the 5-foot-8, 173-pound wideout said his ability to shake loose from defensive backs will be what makes the difference more than anything else.

“At my size, you can’t rely on contested catches, jumping up over the top of people — you’ve got to get separation,” Covey said Tuesday. “I strive to get separation all the time, man, zone, whatever it is, and in the slot, I feel like you have a two-way go at all times. I feel like you can be a mismatch.”

Partially thanks to an uncertain group of receivers vying for roles behind the Eagles’ star duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, Covey’s chances of making the 53-man roster out of training camp are the best they’ve been in the last few years.

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The former Utah standout has been on the wrong side of cut-down day in each of the last two seasons and started both his rookie year in 2022 and last year on the Eagles practice squad before eventually joining the active roster. He emerged as one of the best punt returners in the NFL last year, leading the league in total return yardage and finishing second with 14.4 yards per return (minimum 20 returns).

While he has limited experience returning kickoffs in the NFL, Covey said special teams coordinator Michael Clay has discussed utilizing him there this year with the league’s new format for the play. The uptick in returns expected from the new template adopted from the XFL may not allow any one player to withstand the workload, but Covey may factor in because of the similarities the play now shares with returning punts.

“There’s going to be a lot of trial and error for the first three or four weeks of the season for every team,” Covey said. “As of now, you’re going to want bigger body types most likely, you’re returning it every play, it almost turns into inside zone. So I think you’re going to see mostly running backs throughout the league, or bigger receivers [returning kickoffs]. But Coach Clay has talked to me about — because I’ve got great vision — depending on certain schemes and things, you definitely want to put a guy like me in there.

“Because you’ve got to be fearless on this kickoff return,” Covey added. “You can’t dance around, it’s got to be one cut, get vertical and trust. And that’s tough to do. It can turn into something like a punt return and it’s something I feel like I know I’d be good at, but there’s also a durability aspect of, you’re probably going to get five or six a game. So you’ll probably see a rotation of guys. If I were to place a bet on it, I would say you’d see four or five guys per game.”

With his value in the return game well established, Covey is trying to earn a bigger role in the Eagles offense after playing just 58 total snaps with the group last year. After splitting first- and second-team reps at receiver with free-agency additions John Ross and Parris Campbell for the last few practices, Covey sees his main selling point as his ability to operate out of the slot because of his quickness.

A former high school quarterback, Covey said his ability to read defenses on the option routes that new Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has utilized in the past also could help him separate from the group.

He’s just waiting for his chance.

“That’s why I love the slot,” Covey said. “You get those option routes, you get those opportunities. Obviously, Smitty commands a lot of attention with those, but if I get those opportunities, I feel so confident that I can do it. I’ve done it all throughout my entire career in practice, I just haven’t gotten many opportunities in a game.”

For Isaiah Rodgers, the turmoil and resurgence of the last 14 months materialized into the numbers on the scale earlier this week.

The 26-year-old cornerback, vying for a starting spot on the Eagles, said he dropped all the way down to 166 pounds while serving a yearlong suspension in 2023 for gambling while he was a member of the Indianapolis Colts. Going into the final days of training camp, Rodgers said he has surpassed the 180-pound mark, illustrative of the improved mental and physical state he has found since returning to the field.

“There’s a lot of differences in my body that I feel from last year to now,” Rodgers said Tuesday. “ … It’s all mental. I think mental health definitely matters. Looking back at it now, that was one moment where I was not mentally where I wanted to be last year. I’m blessed to be here, I’m happy now, everything has been going good.”

As has been the case the last couple of weeks, Rodgers has gotten the majority of snaps at outside cornerback with the first-team defense during practice while first-round rookie Quinyon Mitchell works primarily as a nickel cornerback. Rodgers will have to hold off Kelee Ringo to earn the starting spot opposite Darius Slay going into the regular season, although Mitchell may be ahead of Rodgers when the Eagles use their base defense with just two corners instead of three.

Sometimes when the Eagles defense reviews practice film, Sydney Brown will come into focus on the edges of the frame.

The second-year defensive back, sidelined with an ACL injury suffered last January, has been watching the team sessions during practice from the end zone behind the defense dating back to organized team activities in the spring. Brown will mimic the pre-snap routines of the safeties on the field for “mental reps” before watching the play from a safety’s vantage point, something his teammates have taken notice of.

“We’ll be watching film and you see him in his little box going through the motions and stuff,” Eagles safety Reed Blankenship said Tuesday. “He’s always engaged in the meetings, he’s always there to answer questions. He’s even there if he has any questions, it’s like he’s preparing to go to practice or for a game.”

» READ MORE: Eagles CB Kelee Ringo is playing with confidence: ‘I just want to be a force to be reckoned with’

The Eagles placed Brown on the physically unable to perform list going into training camp and can keep him there through cut-down day next week. The 2023 third-round pick would be required to miss at least the first four weeks of the season as a result, but it would save the Eagles a roster spot.

Brown started six games during his rookie season, playing both as a deep safety and a nickel cornerback on early downs. The former Illinois star has done rehab work throughout training camp and should be mentally prepared whenever he’s cleared to return, Blankenship said.

“Y’all don’t really see a whole lot, but he’s here early, he’s doing stuff on his own,” Blankenship said. “He’ll be ready as soon as his number is called, that’s for sure.”