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Colts claim crazy athletic cornerback off waivers from Eagles
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- Colts claim crazy athletic cornerback off waivers from Eagles
INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts apparently have an interesting plan for the player they plucked off the waiver wire.
Indianapolis was awarded Eagles safety Kapena Gushiken on a waiver claim on Monday, but the Colts listed Gushiken as a cornerback, an indication that he will play a different role in his new city.
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Gushiken played 125 defensive snaps for Philadelphia in the preseason, splitting those reps between nickel (57 snaps), strong safety (36) and free safety (32).
Indianapolis could use more depth in the slot. The Colts are counting on second-year cornerback Justin Walley at the position, but Walley will likely shift to the outside if an injury happens to Sauce Gardner or Charvarius Ward . Cam Taylor-Britt, the No. 4 cornerback for Indianapolis, would move into the slot in that scenario, but Indianapolis had no clear option beyond Taylor-Britt after reducing the roster to 53 players on Sunday, and Gushiken procides coverage there.
The Colts released veteran offensive tackle Luke Tenuta to make room for Gushiken, a potential indication that Indianapolis is not finished tweaking its 53-man roster for the start of the regular season yet. Later Monday afternoon, the Colts signed Tenuta to the practice squad.
Tenuta's release from the 53-man roster leaves Indianapolis with only eight offensive linemen and no backup tackles. Indianapolis typically carries two backup tackles on the roster. With Tenuta off the roster, starting right guard Matt Goncalves clearly assumes a role as the team's swing tackle.
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Gushiken, an undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss , was only measured at 5-foot-9, 189 pounds at the NFL scouting combine The little-known college safety earned his spot by running the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds at his Pro Day, recorded a 41-inch vertical jump and produced times in the short shuttle and the 3-cone drill that would have placed him among the top safeties at the combine.
He was a wrecking ball on special teams for Philadelphia in the preseason. Gushiken made 12 tackles overall, including four tackles on special teams alone, and he played gunner for the Eagles. No matter where he plays defensively, the Colts will likely install Gushiken immediately on coordinator Brian Mason's special-teams units.
Ashton Dulin is expected to reprise his role as the team's top gunner, and the Colts like second-year cornerback Johnathan Edwards on the other side. Edwards, though, sat out the preseason finale with an injury, and at any rate, the Colts like to have multiple players on special teams who have the skills of a gunner.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter .
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts claim crazy athletic cornerback off waivers from Eagles
