The Philadelphia Eagles officially announced three roster moves on Tuesday afternoon. An overview:
- WR Britain Covey was placed on injured reserve.
- TE Jack Stoll was signed to the active roster from the practice squad.
- WR John Ross was signed to the practice squad.
Let’s sort through this news on a player-by-player basis.
As noted on Monday, Covey reportedly suffered a broken bone in his shoulder during the Eagles’ win over the New Orleans saints. He was seen wearing a sling over his arm after the game.
By going on IR, Covey is automatically ineligible to play in the Eagles’ next four games. Covey reportedly told Merrill Reese that he’ll be out for at least six weeks. Assuming that timeline holds true, we might not see Covey until the Eagles play the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10. The silver lining to Covey missing time during this stretch is that the Eagles have their bye in Week 5.
With Covey out, Cooper DeJean is set to take over as the Eagles’ punt returner. DeJean averaged 13.1 yards per return at Iowa, so, there’s reason to believe he could be a weapon in that capacity. Of course, it’s also possible that he’s not as good as Covey, who is arguably the best punt returner in the NFL.
Covey’s absence also impacts the Eagles’ wide receiver depth. A.J. Brown didn’t play in Philly’s last two games and it’s unclear if he’ll be good to go in Week 4. DeVonta Smith will need to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol before being eligible to return. If the Eagles neither of them are available, the team is down to just Jahan Dotson and Johnny Wilson at receiver on the active roster. They also do have some practice squad options; more on that later.
JACK STOLL
A bit interesting how the Eagles have handled Stoll since they added him back to the team on the practice squad after he got cut by the New York Giants.
The Eagles temporarily elevated E.J. Jenkins from the practice squad to be the third tight end for the team’s Week 1 game. Then they cut Stoll only to re-sign him the next day. Then Jenkins got another elevation for the Eagles’ second game.
But it was Stoll whom the Eagles temporarily elevated for their Week 3 game against the Saints. And now he’s back on the roster as the third tight end.
Or maybe back to being the second tight end? Grant Calcaterra is the superior pass-catching option but he struggled in New Orleans as a blocker and that’s an area where Stoll has had success. Perhaps more of a split for the playing time as the backup tight ends behind Dallas Goedert.
JOHN ROSS
Ross came out of retirement to try out for the Eagles during their rookie minicamp back in May. The team then signed him to their roster and Ross tried to compete for the third wide receiver job. He flashed a little bit but then got hurt in the second preseason game. Ross ultimately didn’t do enough to justify the Eagles keeping him around.
But now that the Eagles are dealing with multiple wide receiver injuries, they decided to bring Ross back into the fold. Certainly doesn’t hurt that he has some familiarity with their offense.
Ross joins an Eagles practice squad that already includes four other receivers: Parris Campbell, Danny Gray, Kyle Philips, and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint. The Eagles have opted to temporarily elevate Campbell for each of their last two games. They could opt for another receiver elevation — or perhaps two — depending on whether they have Brown and/or Smith available to them for this week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
