Eagles news: Familiar faces shine in XFL debuts, another has a tough day

In 2020, after the Philadelphia Eagles added ten Birds to the nest by way of the NFL Draft, they added 13 undrafted rookie free agents including a running back from UCF named Adrian Killins. There was a bit of a buzz around him, mostly because he was lightning-fast. Still, after being waived during final roster cuts, making the practice squad, and being promoted to the active roster ahead of a Week 4 showdown with the San Francisco 49ers, Killins finally earned an opportunity to show what he can do. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well.

His one carry lost 12 yards. He caught one pass for two. He was released two days and hasn’t played in an NFL game since.

Deontay Burnett was introduced to the Eagles family one year prior. Signed to Philly’s practice squad after they suffered injuries to their wide receiver position, he was promoted to the active roster ahead of that ‘Boston Scott game’ versus the New York Giants in the regular-season finale in Week 17. He did well under the circumstances, catching two passes for 48 yards in Philly’s 34-17 win.

De’Vante Bausby, from 2015 to 2022, has seen almost a dozen locker rooms including that of the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s played in the NFL and now-defunct AAF (Alliance of American Football). He returned to the NFL before finding his way to the USFL. He’s now a member of the XFL’s Arlington Renegades.

On Saturday, just six days after the most disappointing Eagles loss we have seen in some time, much of the Birds faithful tuned into the first two games of the XFL season. Killins, Burnett, and Bausby all made their debuts and produced some memorable moments.

Eagles news: Adrian Killins’ first XFL appearance is a rocky one.

The first game of the XFL season featured a clash between the Vegas Vipers and Killins’ Arlington Renegades. Let’s just say things didn’t go according to plan for Adrian.

Serving as a reserve tailback behind Deveon Smith, Killins stacked one yard on two carries. As was the case in his Eagles debut, his first rush produced a huge loss. His second gained four yards. It’s apparent that he has talent, but negative plays can’t happen. It will be interesting to see how he bounces back when the Renegades take the field next Sunday.

More Eagles news: Deontay Burnett and De’Vante Bausby produce highlight-reel moments on the XFL’s opening weekend.

Well, the Burnett and Bausby families are happy this morning. The former had a beautiful catch and run to the end zone versus the Orlando Guardians. The latter, Killins’ teammate found the end zone by way of a pick-six. Have a look at both

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1627133719503941633?s=20

We’ve been trying to get the bad taste that we have for football out of our mouths all week. Maybe the XFL can help us do that. It isn’t Eagles football, nor did we expect it to be. Still, it’s good enough to be the pick-me-up that Birds fans are searching for. Two more games kick off on Sunday. We expect to see a couple of memorable moments as well.