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Justin Evans (American football)
Justin Evans (born August 26, 1995) is an American professional football safety. He played college football at Mississippi Gulf Coast before transferring to Texas A&M. Professional careerPre-draftEvans 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.[4] The majority of NFL draft experts and analysts projected Evans to be a second or third round pick.[5] 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.[6][7]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2017The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Evans in the second round (50th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft.[8] Evans was the seventh safety drafted in 2017.[9] On May 25, 2017, Evans signed a four-year, $5.19 million contract with the team.[10] Throughout training camp, Evans competed to be a starting safety against J. J. Wilcox, Chris Conte, and Keith Tandy.[11]
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.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14] In Week 15, Evans recorded six combined tackles and sustained an ankle injury during a 24–21 loss against the Atlanta Falcons.[15] On December 20, 2017, the Buccaneers placed Evans on injured reserve due to an ankle injury.[16] 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.[17] 2018–2020Evans entered training camp slated as a starting safety, but saw competition from Chris Conte, Keith Tandy, and Jordan Whitehead.[18] Head coach Dirk Koetter named Evans and Chris Conte the starting safeties to begin the regular season in 2018.[19]
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.[20] 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.[21] 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).[22] In Week 10, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles during a 16–3 loss against the Washington Redskins.[23] 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.[24] He missed the next two games (Weeks 14–15) before he was placed on injured reserve on December 18, 2018.[25] He finished the 2018 NFL season with 59 combined tackles (43 solo), two pass deflections, one interception, a fumble recovery, and one touchdown.[17] 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.[26] On September 10, 2019, Evans was placed on injured reserve with an Achilles injury.[27] He was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list (PUP) at the start of training camp on July 28, 2020.[28] He was moved to the reserve/PUP list at the start of the regular season on September 5, 2020.[29] On December 22, 2020, Evans was waived by the Buccaneers with a "failed physical" designation.[30] New Orleans SaintsOn April 4, 2022, after missing the 2021 season, Evans signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints.[31] Philadelphia EaglesOn March 20, 2023, Evans signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.[32] 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.[33] References
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