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Eagles Practice Notes: Punt Returner Possibly Identified For Week 1

Originally posted on Philadelphia Eagles on SI
By Ed Kracz | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 3:19 PM ET

The Eagles’ Week 1 punt returner has arrived. Britain Covey is back on the team. Just days after being released by the Los Angeles Rams, the diminutive Covey was added to the practice squad.

The expectation is that he will be elevated for next Thursday’s opener against the Dallas Cowboys to return punts. He won’t need much ramp-up time to be ready for the role he filled the past two seasons for the Eagles after spending the summer with the Rams and having familiarity with the scheme of Philadelphia special teams coordinator Michael Clay.

Covey, who is 5-8, 173 pounds, appears to be fully healthy after suffering a neck injury last year that limited him to just five games. In that time, he returned six punts for 46 yards. He was poised to have a larger role as a receiver until the injury. As it was, he had seven catches for 34 yards.

The Eagles let him walk in free agency and he chose to sign with the Rams. Before the Eagles claimed him, the thought was they would go with Cooper DeJean, who handed the duties last year after Covey went down injured, or Jahan Dotson, who hadn’t returned a punt since his college days at Penn State.

Now, they have Covey, who led the league in punt return yards just two years ago with 417, and was second in average yards per return at 14.4.

Notes From Thursday's Practice:

New lineman in the house. Center Willie Lampkin, another player the Eagles got after the Rams cut him, was at practice talking to Joe Douglas and wearing a big brace on his left leg. The undrafted free agent is on the 53-man roster but looks like an injured reserve candidate.

Lampkin, who will wear No. 61, is undersized at 5-11, 290 pounds, but is known for his strength and ability to get leverage against bigger players. He was a standout high school wrestler in Florida, going 47-0 as a senior and winning the state championship in the heavyweight division.

Full PS. The Eagles have a full practice squad. After bringing back safety Marcus Epps after his release by the Las Vegas Raiders and Covey, they now have 16 PS players. Interestingly, safety Tristin McCollum was not brought back. Nor was offensive lineman Trevor Keegan. Epps, who played on the Eagles’ 2022 Super Bowl team, will wear No. 39. Covey is 85.

One player not on the PS after being widely reported on Wednesday to have signed with the Eagles was running back Audric Estime.

Speaking of numbers…There are some new ones and here they are:

-Cornerback Jakorian Bennett goes from 49 to 41.

-Receiver Darius Cooper goes from 41 to 80.

-John Metchie III goes from 80 to 18.

-Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo goes from 50 to 45.

IPP. The Eagles chose not to bring back offensive lineman Laekin Vakalahi, who spent last year on the roster as part of the league’s International Pathway Program. The IPP allows teams to have one exempt player on the roster. The Eagles filled that opening with 6-7, 318-pound offensive tackle Luke Felix-Fualalo, who was born in Brisbane, Australia, played college ball at Hawaii, and went undrafted in 2025. He spent this offseason with the Seattle Seahawks. He will wear No. 72.

Schedule. The Eagles will be off on Friday and Saturday before returning on Sunday to proceed full-speed ahead to Thursday's season opener.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Eagles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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