Britain Covey met with the media on Tuesday to discuss his role within the Eagles’ offense.
He studied Danny Amendola. He studied Cole Beasley. He studied Austin Collie.
“I don't watch the D.K. Metcalfs as much because I don't really relate to that,” the 5-foot-8, 175-pound Britain Covey said with a laugh.
Like Amendola, Beasley and Collie, Covey is an undersized guy with modest speed trying to beat the odds and establish himself as an NFL receiver. Like Amendola – a one-time Eagle – and Beasley, he was undrafted.
Covey averaged 14.4 yards per punt return last year, highest in the NFL by anybody with at least 25 returns and 3rd-highest in Eagles history (behind Brian Westbrook in 2003 and DeSean Jackson in 2009).
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But he wants to be more than a punt returner, and so far in training camp he has been.
He’s looked fantastic.
“I think I’ve grown the most as a receiver,” Covey said after practice Tuesday. “Reliability as a receiver is important. And if you think about it, in this offense, we've got A.J., Smitty, Dallas and Saquon. So your third receiver that's out there, he needs to be able to affect the game in ways other than just being ball-centric. There's only so many footballs to go around.
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“In the past, we've had Quez out there. He affects the game with his speed. Parris (Campbell) and John (Ross) affect the game with their speed. I feel like my route running and my ability with the ball is something similar. You can't just leave me. And you've got to be a threat in some way without needing the ball in your hand. So when you have that good of players as your ball-centric guys, you gotta have the other guys affect the game in some way.
“So for me, I've really focused on that. Worked really hard in the offseason. I haven't gotten many chances at receiver, but one day I'll tell my kids I was DeVonta Smith's backup, and I'm pretty proud of that. So hopefully we get some chances.”
New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore – who was with Beasley in Dallas in 2018 – has given Covey a ton of opportunities on offense. A ton. And Covey has responded by catching everything thrown his way and looking quick and productive with the ball in his hands.
He looks like an NFL receiver. But can he be one?
If you include all his reps, no receiver has been targeted as much this summer as Covey, and nobody has caught as many passes. He’s shown an ability to get separation and even though he may not have elite 40 speed, we’ve all seen his quickness, elusiveness and toughness as a punt returner.
“The key for me is always being in the right spot, every single time, so that they can trust me,” he said. “You can put me in all three positions, you can throw me anywhere on the field, and I’ll do the right thing. At the end of the day, if DeVonta goes down, you don’t panic, you say, ‘We’ve got a slot receiver in here who can do some things.’”
Realistically, Covey is probably only a slot receiver. And it could be hard for him to win the No. 3 WR spot as only a slot. Parris Campbell and John Ross are still the top candidates.
But Covey will be active on game day because of his punt return ability, and Moore’s history is that every eligible receiver is going to have a role.
Covey has four career catches for 42 yards - all the last couple weeks of last year.
Beasley caught over 500 passes and 34 touchdowns in 11 seasons. Amendola caught over 600 passes and 24 TDs in 13 seasons. And Collie had over 170 catches and 16 touchdowns his first three years before a knee injury prematurely ended his promising career.
“Cole Beasley is one of my favorite people to watch of all time,” Covey said. “I really think he mainly uses his intelligence first and then his quickness and ability second. And that's kind of how I've always been, as well. Teams only play man so much of the time. And so you've got to be smart in every sense of the word, and the big thing for me is just building trust with Jalen.
“Jalen's come up to me and told me he trusts me, and that's the biggest compliment you can get from your quarterback. So seeing myself in my role and where I fit in is what I'm looking forward to.”
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