Trust Ball
Little Used WR Gaining QB's Belief At Camp
PHILADELPHIA – After executing a crossover that would make Sixers legend Allen Iverson proud, Eagles wide receiver Britain Covey proceeded to cross the face of cornerback Tyler Hall to reel in a pass over the middle during a red zone period.
That Covey created as much separation on the play as he did wasn’t abnormal, but par for the course this summer, with his nifty footwork and clinical stop-start suddenness serving as the catalyst.
Perhaps most illustrating Covey’s evolution as a wide receiver, he was streaking down the left sideline as Jalen Hurts uncorked a deep shot, with rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell closely in tow.
The money pass was secured, landing safely into the waiting arms of Covey despite blanket coverage.
In addition to his short-to-intermediate catches or plays designed to get the slippery wideout on the move, Covey flashed his ability to get vertical.
A wide receiver by trade, Covey, one of the NFL’s top punt returners in 2023, has been afforded the opportunity to showcase his receiving chops after being sidelined for much of training camp last summer with a lingering hamstring injury.
Truth be told, from the cornerbacks who have drawn the Covey coverage assignments through five practices, few have been exempt from exploitation.
The third-year pro is in the running to stake his claim to the Eagles’ vacancy at the third receiver role, competing against veterans Parris Campbell, John Ross and others.
But Covey, who at 5-foot-8, 175 pounds, offers a vastly different skill set and dimension, has quietly emerged as a camp standout.
The razor-sharp route-running and twitchy short-area quickness are a big reason why.
In preparation for the most extensive opportunity of his career, Covey watched a considerable amount of tape of a productive wide receiver of a similar stature, one who also played under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
“Cole Beasley is one of my favorite people to watch of all-time,” Covey said. “I think, mainly, he 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, so you gotta be smart in every sense of the word. The big thing for me is just building trust with Jalen [Hurts]. Jalen’s come up and told me that he trusts me, and that’s the biggest compliment you can get from your quarterback. Seeing myself and my role and where I fit in is what I’m looking forward to.”
Earning the trust of his starting quarterback despite a relatively light resume speaks to Covey’s preparation, attention to detail and – as he does with his punt return role – obsession over perfecting his craft.
The key, he says, is always being in the right spot every single time to forge that confidence.
Covey, who has logged only 77 career offensive snaps, which includes a career-high 58 in 2023, has recorded just 42 yards on four catches through his first two seasons.
It wasn’t until he was pressed into service late last season that he touched the ball on offense for the first time in his pro career.
Still, that didn’t alter Covey’s offseason preparation, which according to him, accounts for roughly a five-to-one ratio on receiver to return.
He made sure to still get his weekly return work in with former BYU punter Ryan Rehkow, but he also initiated throwing sessions with former BYU quarterbacks – and current NFL quarterbacks – Jaren Hall and Zach Wilson.
Covey also received personal training from former NFL wide receiver and BYU alum Austin Collie, a veteran of five NFL seasons.
“I think I’ve shown the most growth as a receiver,” Covey said. “Reliability as a receiver is important. If you think about this offense, we’ve got A.J. [Brown], 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 being ball-centric.
“There’s only so many footballs to go around. So, I think that’s why a lot of times, in the past, we’ve had Quez [Watkins] out there. He affects the game with his speed. Parris and John affect the game with their speed.”
Covey said he believes his route-running and playmaking is comparable along with his ability to command attention from the defense.
“You can’t just leave me. You gotta be a threat in some way without needing the ball in your hand,” he said. “And 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.”
The way that Covey proves to impact the game will go a long way in determining just how Moore intends to deploy him into his offense.
His shiftiness and vision lend itself favorably to churning out yards after the catch, and his technical approach to running routes should free him to ensure he’s always in the right spot.
Right now, though, the 27-year-old Covey is “grateful to be out here” and having the opportunity he didn’t get last preseason.
“I’m hopeful this year,” he added. “I think that was a big reason why I didn’t get a jump in last year is that I had to miss the whole preseason. And that was frustrating for me.”
– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.
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