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Eagles Might’ve Made a Mistake With Rookie DB After Colts Roster Move
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- Eagles Might’ve Made a Mistake With Rookie DB After Colts Roster Move
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Philadelphia Eagles made some very notable cuts as they trimmed their roster down to 53 players at the deadline this year.
While plenty of focus was on the release of Uar Bernard and Joshua Weru, the Eagles made plenty of other important roster decisions. Unfortunately, one might come back to bite them.
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Daniel Popper of The Athleti c highlighted rookie defensive back Kapena Gushiken, who the Eagles waived amid roster cutdowns this summer, as the second-best player who could be claimed. That risk met reality, as the Indianapolis Colts swooped in to land him.
"He can play nickel and high safety," Popper writes. "He is comfortable both playing in the box and in the deep part of the field. Gushiken also flashed repeatedly as a special teams coverage player, especially at gunner."
The Eagles cut ties with such a player, as the 24-year-old Gushiken hit waivers and then was claimed by the Colts to bolster their depth chart.
Letting such a talented player go might be looked at as a mistake, especially since the team is carrying four quarterbacks and four tight ends. Part of why this might feel like a mistake is thanks to Popper's continued analysis of the former Eagles' rookie.
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"He is quite savvy for a rookie," Popper writes. "A versatile defensive back with special teams upside should be attractive on the waiver wire."
That's exactly what happened, as Gushiken was claimed by the Colts off waivers, and there might've been a few other teams down the board, with Indianapolis in the first half of the waiver priority, that also tried to land Gushiken.
The 5-foot-9, 189-pound defensive back was a special teams standout who also had some decent moments in coverage. There's still plenty of work to do with Gushiken, but the former Ole Miss defensive back is someone to get excited about.
Instead of Gushiken, the Eagles kept Kelee Ringo , Michael Carter II , Mac McWilliams , and Jonathan Jones as their defensive back depth.
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It might've been nice to keep Gushiken, but with a loaded roster and limited spots available, the Eagles didn't have a lot of choice with the rookie defensive back.
But if he thrives with the Colts, and the Eagles' special teams or defensive back depth becomes an issue at some point this season, the loss of Gushiken could become a big mistake for the Eagles.
