Following roster cutdown day, the Indianapolis Colts are adding to their 53-man roster, claiming safety Kapena Gushiken on waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Gushiken now joins a safety room that includes Cam Bynum, AJ Haulcy, Hunter Wohler, and Jonathan Owens.
Here are five things to know about the newest member of the Colts.
A very versatile defender
Going back to college, Gushiken has experience playing deep safety, in the box, and lining up at the nickel. With the Eagles this preseason, Gushiken played 32 snaps at free safety, 33 in the box, and 57 from the slot.
During Gushiken's final season at Ole Miss, he played 242 snaps at deep safety, 206 from the box, and 344 from the slot.
A terrific athlete
Gushiken tested very well during the pre-draft process.
Kapena Gushiken is a FS prospect
in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 9.16 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 106 out of 1247 FS from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/JhmDW8mPw6 pic.twitter.com/gef0eaWkzQ
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) March 22, 2026
A special teams contributor
In only three preseason games, Gushiken played a whopping 40 special teams snaps, contributing to five of the six different phases. In college, he played 308 special teams snaps over three seasons, per PFF.
The Colts had interest before the draft
During the pre-draft process, teams can host up to 30 prospects for official pre-draft visits. This year, Gushiken was one of the players that the Colts brought in.
Kapena Gushiken's draft profile
Here is what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote in his pre-draft scouting report:
"Gushiken is extremely fast with above-average balance and change-of-direction quickness in man coverage. He can stay relatively sticky to routes at all three levels. He does lose track of the clues quarterbacks provide at times, which helps explain his average ball production relative to his athletic ability. He’s compact, tough and willing in run support but will still give way to size on occasion. Overall, Gushiken is scheme-diverse as a nickelback. He has enough cover talent and special-teams value to compete for a roster spot."
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 5 things to know about new Colts' DB Kapena Gushiken
