Philadelphia, PA – In a bold move to ignite their sputtering special teams unit, the Philadelphia Eagles have claimed veteran wide receiver and return specialist Xavier Gipson off waivers from the New York Giants, sending ripples through the NFL landscape just days after a chaotic comeback victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
The transaction, announced on Monday, September 22, 2025, comes on the heels of a Week 3 thriller where the Eagles clawed back from a 26-17 deficit to defeat the Rams 33-26, thanks in part to defensive heroics like Jordan Davis’ blocked field goal-turned-touchdown. However, the game’s underbelly revealed glaring vulnerabilities in the return game. Newly acquired running back Tank Bigsby, obtained in a trade after Week 1, logged just three special teams snaps and infamously muffed two punts during the rally. His kickoff returns have been equally underwhelming: averaging a paltry 12 yards on two attempts, with a longest of 16 yards. The struggles were exacerbated by Rams kicker Joshua Karty’s tricky knuckleball kicks, which left Eagles returners scrambling and exposed a clear need for reinforcement.
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“The Tank Bigsby trade hasn’t exactly proved fruitful through two games,” noted one league source, echoing the sentiment in Philly’s front office. With the Eagles now turning their sights to a crucial Week 4 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road, general manager Howie Roseman wasted no time addressing the issue. To accommodate Gipson on the 53-man roster, the team waived offensive lineman Kenyon Green, a former first-round pick acquired earlier in the season via the C.J. Gardner-Johnson trade.
Gipson, a 24-year-old dynamo at 5-foot-9 and 189 pounds, brings a resume packed with explosive potential to the City of Brotherly Love. Undrafted out of Stephen F. Austin in 2023, he burst onto the scene with the Jets, earning a roster spot as a rookie and delivering a walk-off 65-yard punt return touchdown in overtime against the Buffalo Bills on “Monday Night Football.” Over 35 career games with New York, Gipson hauled in 27 of 48 targets for 268 yards and one receiving touchdown, while adding nine rushes for 73 yards and another score.
But it’s Gipson’s prowess in the return game that has Eagles fans buzzing. He boasts 1,142 kick-return yards on 44 attempts (26.0 yards per return) and 604 punt-return yards on 68 attempts (8.9 yards per return), including that iconic rookie-year house call. Since the NFL’s kickoff rule changes last season, Gipson’s 28.7 yards per return ranks fourth league-wide among players with at least 20 attempts. In Week 1 of 2025 with the Jets, he averaged 28.4 yards on five kick returns—well above the NFL’s 25.1-yard average—before a costly fourth-quarter fumble on a kickoff handed the Steelers a pivotal turnover in their 34-32 comeback win.
That miscue led to Gipson’s release from the Jets, but his odyssey continued: The Giants swiftly claimed him off waivers on September 13, only to waive him again on September 20 after he suited up as a healthy scratch. “Gipson was waived for the second time in the last 10 days,” reported Dan Salomone of the Giants’ official site. Undeterred, the Eagles pounced, viewing him not just as a depth piece at receiver but as a game-changer on special teams. His 4.42-second 40-yard dash time underscores the speed that could unlock big plays, potentially as a gadget option on offense too.
This acquisition signals a strategic pivot for a Eagles squad that’s leaned heavily on its star-studded offense led by Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith. With injuries mounting—receiver Darius Slayton nursed a shoulder issue from the Rams game—the timing couldn’t be more fortuitous. Head coach Nick Sirianni, whose special teams have ranked middling at best through three weeks, now has a versatile weapon to deploy against Todd Bowles’ aggressive Buccaneers defense.
Fans in Philly, no strangers to roster shake-ups, are already dubbing this the “Gipson Gambit.” As one supporter tweeted post-announcement: “From muffed punts to punt-return TDs? Let’s go, Birds!” Whether Gipson can steady the return game and deliver the shockwaves his speed promises remains to be seen, but in a season of surprises, the Eagles have just reloaded their arsenal for the road warrior test in Tampa.