Britain Covey backs up trust of Jalen Hurts, Eagles coaches with career performance: ‘He showed up for us’

PHILADELPHIA — Britain Covey finally had the opportunity to show the Philadelphia Eagles what he could do at wide receiver. The opportunity was three years in the making, a chance for Covey to prove he can play as big of a role in the offense as he does on special teams.  

“I think it was awesome,” said Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore on Covey’s performance. “Great example of a guy who hops in there late in the week and is ready to roll.”

Covey was called to action after A.J. Brown tweaked his hamstring in practice late last week. Knowing his role in the offense, Jalen Hurts backed up his trust in Covey with six targets, leading to six catches for 23 yards. Covey also had a 7-yard and 14-yard catch taken away from two illegal man downfield penalties. 

“The game plan wasn’t too adjusted to what position I was going to play,” Covey said. “But, I mean, we have so much experience where I come in, we put Smitty back outside, put me in the slot and it’s just working. It’s just going to work as usual. 

“I pride myself on separation above all things, because I can’t afford to not have separation of myself. So my goal is to always have a yard more separation than anybody else, and I did it.”

With Brown still on the mend, Covey is going to get even more chances to catch passes in the coming weeks. The Eagles wideout has earned the trust of Jalen Hurts over the past few years, making him an easy target (pun intended) in the passing game. 

“That’s what happens in NFL seasons. Guys like Covey, they’re ready and they’re available, and they never know when they’re going to have to hop out there,” Moore said. “And he jumped out there and handled it really well, converted some stuff, gave us some nice run after catch and a lot of positives.”

Covey preferred to overshadow his performance with the end result — a loss. His face in the locker room after Monday’s game said it all.

“I’m hopeful for more opportunities, but man I just want to win,” Covey said. “That was the most frustrating. Like, I wasn’t even happy after the game that I got involved. It was just so frustrating.”

The sting of the loss impressed Hurts the most, even after Covey’s big night. Covey’s a part of this offense moving forward, proving he’s more than just a really good punt returner on one of the most talented teams in the NFL. 

“He showed up for us, Hurts said. “And we’ll need him to continue to do that.”