With free agency and the NFL Draft behind us, now’s a good time to take a look at how the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles depth chart is shaping up. We previously examined the offense and the defense. Today, we’ll continue with special teams. Next, we’ll post our first 53-man roster projection ahead of the upcoming season. (For fun, take a look at how the roster looks compared to last year at this time.)
KICKER
1 – Jake Elliott
2024 was a down year for the Eagles’ kicker but there’s reason to believe the two-time Super Bowl champion can bounce back in 2025. The Eagles seem to be confident in Elliott; they didn’t add any offseason competition for him.
PUNTER
1 – Braden Mann
Mann has been a solid punter for the Eagles. He’ll be motivated to play well again in 2025 since he’ll be a free agent after this season.
HOLDER
1 – Braden Mann
Mann had some especially good holds late last season. Britain Covey used to be the backup holder but he left for LA, so … it’s unclear who holds that role moving forward.
LONG SNAPPER
1 – Charley Hughlett
The Eagles opted not to re-sign two-time Super Bowl champion Rick Lovato. They’re instead moving forward with Hughlett, a 10-year veteran with 155 career games under his belt.
KICK RETURNER
1 – Avery Williams
2 – Will Shipley
3 – Ainias Smith
4 – Giles Jackson
5 – Taylor Morin
The Eagles had 45 kick returns during the 2024 season (including playoffs). Isaiah Rodgers and Kenny Gainwell, who both left Philly in free agency, combined for 34 of those (75.6%). Shipley had 10 while Smith had one. With the Eagles signing Williams and listing him as designated “return specialist,” he could get the nod as the top kick returner. Williams logged 27.2 yards per kick return last year, which is solid. Shipley could also see a good deal of returns as well. Smith wasn’t a good kick returner in college so it’d be surprising to see him have success in this capacity. Jackson and Morin are long shots to make the roster as UDFA signings but they’ll have an opportunity to turn some heads in the preseason.
PUNT RETURNER
1 – Avery Williams
2 – Cooper DeJean
3 – Adoree’ Jackson
4 – Ainias Smith
5 – Taylor Morin
6 – Giles Jackson
Williams has a career 10.9 average on punt returns. For context, Covey is at 11.3. Williams seems like the top option here, especially with Vic Fangio not seeming keen on DeJean potentially taking hits as a return man. DeJean could still be used if injury issues force him into action. The 29-year-old Jackson hasn’t returned a punt since 2022 but he could fill in if there are multiple punt returner injuries. Smith struggled to field the ball cleanly as a returner in practice last year, so, it’s hard to feel great about his outlook. Again, Morin and Jackson are long shots to make the roster. The former was a better college PR while the latter was a better college KR. Eagles rookie cornerback Mac McWilliams also has some limited punt return experience.
