Justin Evans (American football) explained

Justin Evans
Position:Safety
Birth Date:26 August 1995
Birth Place:Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:0
Weight Lbs:199
High School:Stone (Wiggins, Mississippi)
College:Mississippi Gulf Coast (2013–2014)
Texas A&M (2015–2016)
Draftyear:2017
Draftround:2
Draftpick:50
Pastteams:
Highlights:
Statseason:2023
Statlabel1:Total tackles
Statvalue1:169
Statlabel2:Sacks
Statlabel3:Forced fumbles
Statvalue3:2
Statlabel4:Fumble recoveries
Statvalue4:2
Statlabel5:Interceptions
Statvalue5:4
Statlabel6:Defensive touchdowns
Statvalue6:1
Pfr:EvanJu00

Justin Evans (born August 26, 1995) is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at Mississippi Gulf Coast before transferring to Texas A&M.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Evans received an invitation to the Senior Bowl and was able to impress scouts during practice. He was unable to participate during the actual game due to injury.[1] [2] He attended the NFL Combine and only completed the bench press due to a quad injury.[3] Evans also participated at Texas A&M's Pro Day and completed the majority of combine drills he was unable to finish at the combine. He opted to not run the short shuttle and three-cone drill. The majority of NFL draft experts and analysts projected Evans to be a second or third round pick. He was ranked the sixth best strong safety by DraftScout.com, the tenth best safety by Sports Illustrated,and was ranked the ninth best safety in the draft by ESPN.[4] [5]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2017

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Evans in the second round (50th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft.[6] Evans was the seventh safety drafted in 2017.[7] On May 25, 2017, Evans signed a four-year, $5.19 million contract with the team.[8]

Throughout training camp, Evans competed to be a starting safety against J. J. Wilcox, Chris Conte, and Keith Tandy.[9]

He made his professional regular season debut in the Buccaneers against the Chicago Bears and made one solo tackle during a 29–7 victory. On October 5, 2017, Evans earned his first career start after Keith Tandy sustained a hip injury.[10] Evans collected a season-high nine combined tackles, deflected two passes, and made his first career interception during a 19–14 loss against the New England Patriots in Week 5 on Monday Night Football.[11] He intercepted a pass by Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady, that was initially intended for wide receiver Chris Hogan, and returned it for a two-yard gain on the first drive of the game.[12] In Week 15, Evans recorded six combined tackles and sustained an ankle injury during a 24–21 loss against the Atlanta Falcons.[13] On December 20, 2017, the Buccaneers placed Evans on injured reserve due to an ankle injury.[14] Evans finished his rookie season in 2017 with 66 combined tackles (50 solo), six pass deflections, and three interceptions in 14 games and 11 starts.[15]

2018–2020

Evans entered training camp slated as a starting safety, but saw competition from Chris Conte, Keith Tandy, and Jordan Whitehead.[16] Head coach Dirk Koetter named Evans and Chris Conte the starting safeties to begin the regular season in 2018.[17]

He started in the Buccaneers' season-opener at the New Orleans Saints and made five combined tackles and returned a fumble recovery for a 34-yard touchdown during a 48–40 victory.[18] Evans recovered a fumble and returned it for a 34-yard touchdown during the second quarter after teammate Vernon Hargreaves forced the fumble by Saints' running back Mike Gillislee.[19] On September 24, 2018, Evans made six combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception during a 30–27 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. Evans sustained a toe injury in Week 10 and missed the next two games (Weeks 11–12).[20] In Week 10, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles during a 16–3 loss against the Washington Redskins.[21] On December 2, 2018, Evans recorded two solo tackles during a 24–17 win against the Carolina Panthers in Week 13, but was carted off the field in the second quarter after aggravating his toe injury.[22] He missed the next two games (Weeks 14–15) before he was placed on injured reserve on December 18, 2018.[23] He finished the 2018 NFL season with 59 combined tackles (43 solo), two pass deflections, one interception, a fumble recovery, and one touchdown.[15] He received an overall grade of 67.7 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked as the 52nd best grade among all qualified safeties in 2018.[24]

On September 10, 2019, Evans was placed on injured reserve with an Achilles injury.[25] He was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list (PUP) at the start of training camp on July 28, 2020.[26] He was moved to the reserve/PUP list at the start of the regular season on September 5, 2020.[27] On December 22, 2020, Evans was waived by the Buccaneers with a "failed physical" designation.[28]

New Orleans Saints

On April 4, 2022, after missing the 2021 season, Evans signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints.[29]

Philadelphia Eagles

On March 20, 2023, Evans signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.[30] He was named the Eagles starting safety to begin the 2023 season. He was placed on injured reserve on October 13, 2023, with a knee injury.[31]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Joe B: 5 observations from the Senior Bowl Day 3. May 30, 2017. wkbw.com. Joe Buscaglia. January 26, 2017.
  2. Web site: Prattville native among 5 players added to Senior Bowl roster. May 30, 2017. al.com. Creg Stepenson. January 27, 2017.
  3. Web site: Rotoworld.com: Justin Evans. May 30, 2017. rotoworld.com.
  4. Web site: 2017 NFL draft rankings: Top Prospects by Position. May 30, 2017. si.com. Chris Burke. April 25, 2017.
  5. Web site: Ranking the 2017 Draft's Top 100 Prospects. May 30, 2017. ESPN.com. Jeff Legwold. April 22, 2017.
  6. Web site: 2017 NFL Draft Listing . May 17, 2023 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  7. Web site: Buccaneers Draft Justin Evans in Round 2. Buccaneers.com. April 28, 2017.
  8. Web site: Sportrac.com: Justin Evans contract. May 30, 2017. Sportrac.com.
  9. Web site: Bucs' Brett Maxie discusses Justin Evans and competition at safety . January 10, 2019 . bucswire.usatoday.com . May 22, 2017.
  10. Web site: Buccaneers' Keith Tandy: Exits game with hip injury . January 11, 2019 . cbssports.com . October 1, 2017.
  11. News: WATCH: Bucs rookie Justin Evans hands Tom Brady his 1st INT of 2017. October 6, 2017. Bucs Wire. March 22, 2018. en-US.
  12. Web site: New England Patriots at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - October 5th, 2017 . January 11, 2019 . pro-football-reference.com.
  13. Web site: Buccaneers' Justin Evans: Placed on IR . January 11, 2019 . cbssports.com . December 20, 2017.
  14. Web site: Standout Rookies Among Five Bucs Headed to IR. Smith, Scott. Buccaneers.com. December 20, 2017. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20171223235108/http://www.buccaneers.com/news/article-smith/Standout-Rookies-Among-Five-Bucs-Headed-to-IR/b5203974-8b43-4612-a385-24deb30cb4e4. December 23, 2017.
  15. Web site: NFL Player stats: Justin Evans (career) . January 11, 2019 . NFL.com.
  16. Web site: Safety position among Bucs' biggest position battles right now . January 11, 2019 . bucswire.usatoday.com . May 10, 2018.
  17. Web site: Bucs release the first depth chart of the preseason . January 11, 2019 . bucsnation.com . August 6, 2018.
  18. News: Stone, MGCCC product Justin Evans shows out in the Superdome . Berrian . Josh . WLOX . October 3, 2018 . en-US.
  19. Web site: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints - September 9th, 2018 . January 11, 2019 . pro-football-reference.com.
  20. Web site: Buccaneers-Giants Injury Report Nov. 16: Lavonte David, Vinny Curry, Justin Evans Ruled Out for Sunday's Game in New York . January 11, 2019 . Buccaneers.com . November 16, 2018.
  21. Web site: NFL Player stats: Justin Evans (2018) . January 11, 2019 . NFL.com.
  22. Web site: Bucs S Justin Evans (foot) won't return vs. Panthers . January 11, 2019 . bucswire.usatoday.com . December 2, 2018.
  23. Web site: Justin Evans, Alan Cross Land on I.R.. Smith, Scott. Buccaneers.com. December 18, 2018.
  24. Web site: Pro Football Focus: Justin Evans . January 11, 2019 . profootballfocus.com.
  25. Web site: Justin Evans Lands on IR Amid Round of Roster Moves. Smith, Scott. Buccaneers.com. September 10, 2019.
  26. News: Smith, Scott . Bucs Update Status of Justin Evans, Kendell Beckwith . Buccaneers.com . July 28, 2020 . July 29, 2020.
  27. News: Smith, Scott . Matt Gay, A.Q. Shipley Among Cuts to Get to 53 . Buccaneers.com . September 5, 2020 . September 11, 2020.
  28. Web site: Staff. RotoWire. December 22, 2020. Justin Evans: Cut by Bucs. December 23, 2020. Cbssports.
  29. Web site: New Orleans Saints agree to terms with defensive end Taco Charlton and defensive back Justin Evans. NewOrleansSaints.com. April 4, 2022.
  30. Web site: Alper . Josh . March 20, 2023 . Justin Evans agrees to sign with Eagles . March 20, 2023 . ProFootballTalk . en-US.
  31. Web site: Eagles sign Bradley Roby to the active roster. PhiladelphiaEagles.com. October 13, 2023.