Do the Eagles Have a Returner Problem?
Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has assembled one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. But one position that the Eagles have failed to address this offseason is return specialist. Following last season’s embarrassing return unit, I thought that finding a solution to that issue would’ve been a priority this offseason. Yet it remains a question following Philadelphia’s preseason opener.
The Eagles have added a few players with return experience this offseason, including wide receiver Erik Ezukanma, Isaiah Bolden and Dameon Pierce. Yet as of right now, it’s hard to envision any of those players actually making it on Philadelphia’s final 53-man roster. The Eagles could opt to play the practice squad elevation game to fill a void at returner, yet that only works for three games before they’ll be forced to sign that player to the 53-man roster.
Eagles rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon handled six punt returns and 32 kickoff returns in his career at USC, yet he has already been plagued by a hamstring injury in Philadelphia. Would the Eagles really want to throw their first-round pick in at returner? I’ve learned to never say never but I have my doubts, especially given Lemon’s value to the team’s offense following the departure of A.J. Brown.
It was tough to watch Philadelphia’s return units last season, especially on kickoffs. The Eagles were perplexed by the Los Angeles Rams’ knuckleball strategy on kickoffs in Week 3 and it was honestly hard to watch.The Eagles ranked 30th in the NFL with a kickoff return average of just 23.9 yards. Only the Cleveland Browns (23.7) and the Atlanta Falcons (22.8) were worse in that area. Philadelphia also had two fumbles on kickoff returns, which was tied with seven other teams for the most in the NFL last season.
Philadelphia’s punt return unit wasn’t exactly the best in the NFL either. The Eagles ranked 14th in the NFL with a punt return average of 10.9 yards. Philadelphia had three fumbles on punt returns, which was second-worst in the NFL last season. The Eagles also called a fair catch on 28 of their punt returns, which was the most in the NFL. Philadelphia also had just one punt return of 20 or more yards.
The Eagles utilized a rotating door of Jahan Dotson, Britain Covey and Xavier Gipson at punt returner in 2025 as they desperately tried to cling to any semblance of consistency in that role. While Covey provided some juice with a punt return average of 11.3 yards, the Eagles have shown that they aren’t the most willing to give him a spot on the 53-man roster and he has also dealt with several injuries in recent years.
As of right now, it seems like the Eagles are expected to lean on Will Shipley as their primary kickoff returner, who averaged a respectable 26.8 yards per kickoff return. Yet that still ranked 24th among players with 10 or more kickoff returns last season. The Eagles are viewed as a Super Bowl contender and they should be aiming for better than just pedestrian level production on special teams.
The Seattle Seahawks made a midseason trade for wide receiver and return specialist Rashid Shaheed in 2025 and he had a major impact on their eventual Super Bowl winning run. While I’m not expecting the Eagles to make that type of an investment in a return specialist, it would be nice to see Roseman invest a bit more in that area. It feels rather underwhelming to run it back with essentially the same players as last season.
Two of the other players that the Eagles have been utilizing in the returner rotation during training camp are wide receivers Elijah Moore and Darius Cooper. While both players have a good chance of making Philadelphia’s final 53-man roster, neither one has particularly proven much as a returner in the NFL. Moore has two career punt returns for 23 yards and one career kickoff return for nine yards. Meanwhile, Cooper has yet to register a return in the NFL.
While there’s a chance that the Eagles find a roster spot for Covey or just elevate him from the practice squad for three weeks, they should find a more reliable option. There’s still plenty of time for Roseman to figure out the returner conundrum or maybe he simply doesn’t believe that it’s the issue that I think it is. We’ll find out soon enough with final 53-man roster cuts approaching at the end of the month and Week 1 less than one month away.