Britain Covey, Eagles Who Boosted Stock with Strong Preseason Showing

The Philadelphia Eagles put an emphasis on evaluating their depth players on offense in preseason.

Only a select few projected starters touched the field across three preseason games. That gave players, like Britain Covey, the opportunity to impress Nick Sirianni and the coaching staff.

Covey may only be the No. 4 wide receiver and primary return man, but his work in preseason allowed him to make the initial 53-man roster for the first time in his career.

The Eagles also kept some unlikely preseason standouts on their 53-man roster. A few players on the offensive and defensive interior went from outside of the roster to the initial squad in the span of a month.

Britain Covey did enough in preseason to ensure himself of a 53-man roster spot.

Covey has been primarily used as a return man during his time with the Eagles, and while he will feature in that role again in 2024, he could be asked to catch more passes this season.

The addition of Jahan Dotson in a trade with Washington last week knocked Covey down to the No. 4 wide receiver role.

However, Covey will see more time on the field with the offense because of the thin wide receiver depth the team has.

A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are the stars at the position, while Covey and Dotson should provide some much-needed depth in three-or-four-wide sets.

Covey's value may also go up depending on how the new kickoff rules affect the games.

Darian Kinnard used a heavy preseason workload to convince the coaching staff he belongs on the 53-man roster.

Kinnard made the initial squad as a backup offensive lineman. He will back up Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata at tackle.

Kinnard was not viewed as a candidate to make the 53-man roster as training camp began, but his play throughout preseason forced himself on to the squad.

He benefited from a strategy in which the Eagles did not play many of their offensive starters with an eye on the Week 1 clash with the Green Bay Packers.

The extended bit of playing time likely allowed Kinnard to showcase his full skill set compared to a preseason of the past where he may have received fewer snaps.

Thomas Booker followed the same path as Kinnard to get on to the 53-man roster.

The Eagles played more defensive starters in preseason, but it was not a significant amount.

Booker stood out in the pass rush and he likely has the best path to playing time among the preseason standouts.

He can help out in the pass rush when Josh Sweat, Bryce Huff and others need to take plays off.

Booker can also contribute on special teams in games where he does enter the field much on defense.