The Los Angeles Rams had a front row seat last weekend to watch one of the NFL's best punt return men. Britain Covey playing well for the Philadelphia Eagles despite spending last training camp with the Rams.
Covey serves as a reminder of how—after all this time—LA still does not prioritize special teams. The Rams chose Xavier Smith over Covey out of training camp last year. That ended with Smith fumbling a punt return in the NFC Championship game.
LA is struggling on special teams. It's an issue that spans broader than a single bad decision surrounding which punt returner to keep. The Rams have made many poor special teams missteps. Covey is simply a symbol of the dysfunction.
Xavier Smith returned 16 punts over the 2024 season for 149 yards (9.3 average). He was kept out of the end zone and broke only a single return longer than 20 yards. Smith had the sixth-most fair catches that year with 20.
Meanwhile Covey lost the punt return job in Philadelphia to then-rookie Cooper DeJean. He became expendable. The Rams brought him in to compete with Smith.
But there truly was no preseason or camp competition. Smith was sidelined as LA's returner in the preseason. Instead, Covey, Drake Stoops, and Brennan Presley were the only players to field punts in the 2025 exhibition games. Covey wasn't going to make the roster as a pure receiver. He was released and found his way back to Philadelphia.
Over the 2025 regular season Covey returned 11 punts for 124 yards (11.3 average) with one broken off for longer than 20 yards. Smith was consistent with his 2024 production on a per return basis. He averaged 9.3 yards despite a volume increase from 16 to 27 returns. Smith earned three returns longer than 20 yards with a long of 31.
Last Sunday in a head-to-head matchup, Covey returned three punts for 59 yards (19.7 average) with a long of 41. Smith was cut leading up to the game and replaced by Alex Bachman, who had three opportunities and managed a measly average of just 7.5 yards.
On the season Covey ranks eighth in punt return average across the NFL. He already has two returns longer than 20 yards. The Rams are getting bottom of the league production from their specialists.
And that matters. Poor starting field position increases the degree of difficulty for Matthew Stafford and the offense, which can help explain why one of the best units in the NFL from a year ago is suddenly buck average.
Smith clearly wasn't good enough. Bachman has somehow been worse.
The decision to keep Smith over Covey in 2025 was egregiously bad. The Rams still have not course corrected.
It's one step in a long line of poor special teams management. Britain Covey reminded LA last weekend how far they have fallen in the third phase.
