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Brandon Boykin's post-Eagles career in the NFL has been very strange. Many thought he would flourish outside of Philadelphia, but that just hasn't been the case. Despite trading a fifth round pick to get him, the Steelers kept Boykin on the bench for most of the season in 2015. Pittsburgh didn't make much of an effort to re-sign him. He sat on the free agent market for a couple weeks before eventually signing a deal with the Panthers worth only $80,000 guaranteed. Less than two months later, Carolina cut him in order to make room to sign some tryout undrafted rookie free agents. Boykin visited the Falcons shortly after being cut but Atlanta ultimately passed on him.
So what's the deal? How did Boykin go from being a player who had six interceptions in 2013 and appeared to be (at least) a good slot corner to one who can't even get a roster spot on some team's 90 man offseason roster?
There's a rumor floating around that might explain Boykin's plight. Steelers Depot notes that Pittsburgh defensive backs coach Carnell Lake spoke with fans at the team's men's fantasy camp and explained why Boykin wasn't retained. One Steelers fan attending the camp posted Lake's explanation on Twitter.
WOW! BREAKING NEWS FROM CARNELL LAKE ON BOYKIN: pic.twitter.com/QZNJrGKDyp
— Cocktails-n-Dreams (@CraigScott31) June 4, 2016
Lake: I can talk about him now that he isn't here. Philly cut him b/c he has a degenerative hip condition: one leg longer than other...(1/2)
— Cocktails-n-Dreams (@CraigScott31) June 4, 2016
"Our Drs didn't pick it up. He could hardly run. I felt bad for him" wow. There ya go. #steelers
— Cocktails-n-Dreams (@CraigScott31) June 4, 2016
It's interesting because Boykin's hip was mentioned in an article from ESPN's Vaughn McClure about why the Falcons passed on the free agent cornerback.
Talk circulated regarding Boykin having hip issues, but the source indicated Boykin is fine and the hip is not a factor.
It remains to be seen if Boykin presently has hip issues. We do at least know, however, that he's dealt with hip injuries in the past. After scouring through some old Eagles injury reports, I saw Boykin listed with hip injuries in both the 2013 and the 2014 seasons.
Boykin, who was a fan favorite in Philadelphia, showed interest in returning to the Eagles this offseason but the feeling from the team apparently wasn't mutual.