Eagles reunite with Marcus Epps, Britain Covey on practice squad

The Eagles reunited with a pair of former players Thursday, signing safety Marcus Epps and wide receiver Britain Covey to their practice squad.

Epps, who was with the Eagles from 2019 to 2022 and started every game during the 2022 season, was released by the New England Patriots this week after signing a one-year deal with the team in March.

Covey, who played in 38 games for the Eagles over the last three seasons, spent training camp with the Los Angeles Rams and was released this week.

Covey, 28, signed a one-year deal with the Rams in free agency. After playing almost exclusively on special teams in 2022 and 2023, Covey was deployed more frequently in offensive packages in 2024 but dealt with shoulder and neck injuries. He played in just five games, registering seven catches on eight targets.

The former Utah star could be a game-day elevation candidate, given his history returning punts. The Eagles waived receiver/punt returner Ainias Smith, who signed with Carolina’s practice squad. They also had returner Avery Williams in camp, but he did not make the team.

Safety depth has been a bit of a concern for the Eagles since they traded C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The Eagles drafted Drew Mukuba in the second round, and Mukuba and Sydney Brown competed in training camp for a starting spot next to Reed Blankenship. That competition seemingly was won by Brown partially because of two injuries Mukuba suffered during camp. Mukuba missed practices on Wednesday and Thursday this week, although he could reclaim the starting safety job from Brown once he’s healthy.

The Eagles waived safety Tristin McCollum, who made the initial 53-man roster, as part of a series of roster moves Wednesday. McCollum was claimed Thursday by Epps’ former team, the Las Vegas Raiders. That lowered the number of safeties on the active roster to three, not including Cooper DeJean, who occasionally took safety snaps during camp in the rarely used base package. Epps provides experienced depth to at the position and, at 29, would be the second-oldest defensive back on the active roster if he is activated for a game.

» READ MORE: Training camp darling Darius Cooper appreciates ‘the journey’ from going undrafted to Eagles’ 53-man roster

Epps signed a two-year deal with the Raiders after leaving the Eagles following their Super Bowl loss in 2023. He started all 17 games with the Raiders in 2023 but was limited to three games last season because of a torn ACL.

The veteran safety, who played at the University of Wyoming, was selected in the sixth round of the 2019 draft by Minnesota. The Vikings waived him in early November that year, and the Eagles claimed him. He was primarily a special-teams player until the 2022 season, when he became a starter and was third on the team with 94 tackles.

The Eagles’ practice squad is at the maximum number of 17 players. In addition to Epps and Covey, the Eagles also signed international pathway player Luke Felix-Fualalo. The Australian offensive tackle, who went undrafted out of Hawaii, spent the summer with the Seattle Seahawks.

Offensive lineman Trevor Keegan, a fifth-round pick in 2024, was claimed Thursday by the Dallas Cowboys a day after being cut by the Eagles. The Eagles play the Cowboys on Thursday night to open the NFL season.

Out with the camp numbers and in with the new. The following players have changed their jersey numbers: