Lost in the aftermath of a massive Week 3 road win for the Philadelphia Eagles was a serious injury to wide receiver and top kick return man Britain Covey.
Covey was knocked out of Sunday’s 15-12 win over the New Orleans Saints in the first half, and the prognosis does not sound good. He reportedly sustained a broken bone in the shoulder and is expected to miss two months.
With A.J. Brown sidelined, Covey was becoming a target for quarterback Jalen Hurts in the short passing game. Covey caught a career-high six passes against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2.
The third-year pro snagged an impressive 11-yard reception early in the second quarter against the Saints, making a defender miss in space before getting drilled in the shoulder area and knocked out of bounds by safety Will Harris as he fought for a first down:
Where Covey will be missed the most is in punt return situations. In 2023, Covey returned 29 punts with an average of 14.4 yards per return, which ranked him third in the NFL among players with at least 10 attempts.
With Covey out, the Eagles put rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean on the punt return team. He gained 6 yards on his lone attempt in the Saints game.
DeJean has struggled to carve out a role among the veteran defensive backs in Vic Fangio’s defense. Could special teams be his chance to make an immediate impact?
DeJean had some monster seasons as a punt returner at Iowa. After averaging 16.5 yards per return in 2022, he went crazy in 2023, returning 21 punts for 241 yards and a touchdown.
Fellow rookie Will Shipley could be another option for the Eagles, should they lean toward keeping DeJean healthy. Shipley handled kickoffs at Clemson and averaged a healthy 25.8 yards per return over three seasons. Veteran running back Kenneth Gainwell has handled four kickoffs for the Eagles this season, but is yet to return a punt in his pro career.
Currently operating as the Eagles backup nickel corner, DeJean has been itching to contribute. Based on his recent experience in the role, this could be his chance.
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