The Philadelphia Eagles officially announced three roster moves on Wednesday afternoon. Here’s an overview:
- WR Britain Covey was signed from the practice squad to the roster.
- S Andrew Mukuba was placed on injured reserve.
- OT Luke Felix-Fualalo was placed on the practice squad injured reserve list.
Let’s sort through this news on a player-by-player basis.
BRITAIN COVEY
The Eagles clearly needed a new punt returner even if Xavier Gipson didn’t get hurt on the play where he made a really bad decision to field a punt from the 1-yard line and then fumbled the ball away. But Gipson did get banged up; he hasn’t practiced this week due to his shoulder injury (though he did watch practice from the sideline on Wednesday).
Enter Britain Covey, who really should’ve been the Eagles’ punt returner this season to begin with. In case you forgot, Covey returned to Philly via the practice squad after the Los Angeles Rams cut him back in August. At the time, there was thought the Eagles might utilize his temporarily elevations before eventually finding a roster spot for him.
Instead, the Eagles went with Jahan Dotson as their primary punt returner, despite his lacking experirence. And Dotson wasn’t really good at it; he signaled for some fair catches on plays where the coverage wasn’t even remotely near him. The Eagles took Dotson off punt return duty and replaced him with Gipson, who got cut by the New York Jets earlier this season for … fumbling issues.
The Eagles have apparently decided to stop messing around by signing Covey to the roster. He’s been one of the better punt returners in the league since he entered the NFL; he’s averaged 11.3 yards per return over his career. He was at his best in 2023 with a 14.4 average.
Covey will presumably play for the Eagles on Friday for the first time since suffering a neck injury against the Baltimore Ravens nearly one year ago (December 1, 2024).
ANDREW MUKUBA
Mukuba reportedly suffered a fractured ankle on a play where he was unintentionally hit by Sydney Brown. It was said that Mukuba needs surgery, so, it’s not surprising to see him go on IR.
Mukuba is automatically ineligible to play in the Eagles’ next four games. It’s quite possible his season is over … but it remains to be seen if that’s definitively the case.
In the meantime, Sydney Brown figures to start at safety need to Reed Blankenship. Those are currently the only two full-time safeties on Philly’s roster. Veteran defensive back Marcus Epps is eligible to return from injured reserve after Week 13. The Eagles have noted that Michael Carter II can play safety if necessary. They also have Andre’ Sam on the practice squad.
LUKE FELIX-FUALALO
LFF (not Lincoln Financial Field in this case) is the Eagles’ new Laekin Vakalahi. That’s to say he’s their long-shot developmental international offensive lineman project. He apparently suffered an injury in practice that will cause him to miss practice time
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