Philly Front Office

You’re a sick bastard, you know that? Trying to learn everything you can about 9 guys who probably won’t make the Eagles just so you have something extra to pay attention to during offseason workouts and training camp? Ok…now that those normies who aren’t interested in this kind of minutia have left, we can get down to business. After all, the Eagles are usually good for 1 or 2 of these guys to make the 53-man roster each season. Here is everything you need to know about the undrafted free agents who have signed with the Eagles post-Draft. Players are in alphabetical order by last name.

• Kapena Gushkin – DB – Mississippi
  • Gushkin was a steady riser throughout college. He grew up in Hawaii where he lettered in football, track, volleyball, and basketball. Unfortunately, that didn’t get him any D-1 offers and he started his collegiate career at a JUCO school called Saddleback College in Southern California. After two solid years, he transferred to Washington State. Two more solid years got him to the SEC and Ole Miss where he started all 15 games last season. Surprise, surprise, he is an athletic marvel. Though he is undersized at 5’9″ and 190 pounds, he ran a 4.33, broad jumped 11 feet, and had a 40-inch vertical. He has Special Teams written all over him.
• Isiah King – LB – Idaho
  • There is a lot going on with King despite coming from FBS Idaho. In high school, he played WR and DB due to his tall build at 6’3″ (I’ve seen him listed as 6’2″ and 6’4″ so I am splitting the difference). By his sophomore year though, he had moved to LB. He bulked up for the position change from 180 to 225, but he is still undersized. He is definitely fast though with a 4.61 40 yard dash and could be a special teamer primarily going forward if he makes the team. King is a former teammate of Eagles 7th round draft choice Keyshawn James-Newby.
• Tucker Large – S – Washington State
  • I’m sure he gets it all the time, but Tucker is very much not large considering his 5’10” 185 pound frame. What he lacks in size though, he makes up for in speed. Despite not testing at the combine or running at his pro-day due to injury, he was an all-state level track star back in high school at both the 100 and 200 and had kick and punt returning duties in college. His first 4 years were at South Dakota State where he broke out as a sophomore and stood out as a junior. This allowed him to transfer to the Cougars for his 5th year senior season. After an impressive spring practice season, Large was named team captain and started all 13 games.
• Deontae Lawson – LB – Alabama
  • Lawson is the big name of the UDFAs as he was expected to be drafted. Hell, 2 years ago he probably would have been a 1st round pick. The reason he wasn’t taken comes down to a torn ACL in 2024 that affected him in 2025. He had been a 3-year starter and team captain of the Alabama defense who was always expected to make the NFL. The hope is that with another year of the injury in the rearview, he can get himself back to the player he was. It took some digging,¹ but at his Pro-Day, Lawson ran a 4.68 40, vertical jumped 33.5 inches, and broad jumped 10 feet. All good but not great. Instead, the Eagles are probably focusing on his size (6’2″ and 240 pounds with long arms) and his pedigree (5 star recruit, #3 overall LB² out of high school) not unlike they did with Josh Sweat years ago. As long as he is fully healthy, he is a great bet to make the team. Lawson is known to be a film junky who is always where he needs to be and lined up next to current Eagle Jihaad Campbell for 3 seasons with the Crimson Tide.
• Maximus Pulley – S – Wofford
  • Pulley must have engineers for parents with that name. He is an Academic All-American with a 3.64 GPA in Sociology and Anthropology. Athletically, he is a mixed bag and small in size, but on the field, he was good for 5 picks this past season. The advanced analytics people over at PFF gave him the #1 coverage grade among safeties in FCS this past year. He started as a walk on at Western Kentucky before transferring to Wofford.
• Jaeden Roberts – IOL – Alabama
  • Roberts was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school and landed in Tuscaloosa where he battled injuries and inconsistency. He’s a huge man though at 6’5″ and 340 pounds but doesn’t have the typical Eagles athleticism. Despite a lot of playing time and being a star recruit, I could not find out much on the guy.
• Rocco Underwood – Long Snapper – Florida
  • Because Howie Roseman is a crazy person, Rocco Underwood is an Eagle and will probably end up making the team. Why? Underwood just happens to be the #3 most athletic long snapper in the last 40 years. Of course he is. He even won the Patrick Mannelly Award in 2024.³ Don’t tell me you don’t know about the Patrick Mannelly Award given to the nation’s best long snapper??? This was destiny as he was considered the #1 long snapper recruit in the country back in 2021 by long snapping guru Chris Rubio.⁴ Underwood is apparently also very active on special teams, likely due to his also playing tight end and WR back in high school. He is cousins of NFL punters Tommy and Johnny Townsend.
• Josh Weru – EDGE – Kenya
  • Lost in the Uar Bernard hype was Weru, a 6’4″ defensive end weighing only 244 pounds, but ran a 4.45 40, vertical jumped 41.5 inches, and broad jumped over 11 feet. That’s some serious explosion. Weru is very different from Bernard in that he is already an athlete. Weru is 22 and was a professional Rugby player with the Northhampton Saints. He had been with the team since he joined their academy as a 14 year old, but due to some bit of international visa bullshit left the team in late 2022. He has played for the Kenyan National Team ever since.
• Dae’Quan Wright – TE – Mississippi
  • Wright is an undersized TE with small hands and arms. Excited yet? This started off on the wrong foot. The thing to know is that Wright had a ton of production initially at Virginia Tech and then the last 2 seasons at Oxford. In 28 games, he caught 66 passes for 1000 yards and 8 TDs and is known for his big play ability. He did not run at the combine or his pro day, so I don’t have his speed numbers, but considering the Eagles signed him and he is undersized, you can bet he can move. Wright was a team captain this season and played basketball in high school, both things I like hearing from my pass catchers.

Overview

There are some great names above and some real talent. Lawson is going to make the team unless he is more hurt than he is letting on. Underwood is probably the next best bet, but there could be some practice squad shenanigans with him keeping him from making the initial 53 man out of camp. The group of Pulley, Large, and Greshkin could end up producing a solid special teamer and final safety on the roster especially with Sydney Brown no longer around. Weru is the fun one of the group though due to his athleticism. There is very little chance that he makes the team, but there will almost certainly be a spot for him on the practice squad, especially with the IPP exemption sure to meet UAr Bernard as well.

UDFAs – The Philly Special Show

1. Deontae Lawson 2026 Draft Profile: The “Field General” of the Capstone; Pro-Ready “MIKE” with Elite IQ and Day 2 Value – GREEN19.NET ↩︎
2. Deontae Lawson, Mobile Christian, Linebacker ↩︎
3. Florida long snapper Rocco Underwood signs with Philadelphia as undrafted free agent ↩︎
4. I know this sounds funny, but Rubio is the be all end all of long snapping. Damn near every long snapper in the country trains with him and he pumps out only the best. He is that good. Imagine if Jeff Stoutland trained long snappers…but better. ↩︎