Britain Covey says Jalen Hurts is ‘the best leader he’s ever been around’

Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) throws a pass against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Ever since the disastrous climax to the 2023 season, the rumor mill has been spinning in Philadelphia. From coaching decisions and coordinator firings to seemingly random questions about the leadership of Jalen Hurts we’ve seen it all. Luckily, Britain Covey was on hand to calm the fires.

Dan Sileo has long had a reputation of being…chaotic when it comes to sports reporting and it should come as no surprise that he found himself at the center of a mild controversy on Wednesday, when he and Barrett Brooks cited a conversation with Eagles punter, Britain Covey.

“Covey said, well, I’ve always had the time to go in and talk to any coach. An open door policy. But I didn’t because I was scared to death to go in there. He equated that to the same thing as Jalen Hurts. I believe I can go talk to him, but I never did because I was scared to death.”

Eagles jalen hurts
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) scrambles as Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Yaya Diaby (0) and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey (94) chase him during the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Covey got wind of this pretty quickly and went to bat for his quarterback:

Britain Covey stands up for Jalen Hurts

Two things here:

  1. Well done to Britain Covey for even acknowledging the poison that has been spouted by Sileo and others over the last few weeks. A lot of it feels nonsensical and for someone as under-the-radar as Covey to step up into the public spotlight and defend his quarterback speaks volumes about himself, and Jalen Hurts.
  2. I’m still not sure where this constant slander of Jalen’s leadership is coming from. He’s been publically adored since arriving in Philadelphia and his leadership has always been reported as one of his strongest traits. To randomly flip the switch on that feels incredibly misplaced.

Britain Covey had a brilliant season in 2023, but to continue that brilliance off the field by standing up for Jalen Hurts is really impressive. Hopefully more Eagles players can follow in his footsteps whenever these strange fires start to burn.

AP Photo/Derik Hamilton