Getty The Philadelphia Eagles are signing Rashaan Evans.
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Week 1, but it came at a price with a number of injuries, including Nakobe Dean. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Philadelphia is signing former first-round pick linebacker Rashaan Evans to the team’s practice squad following the news of Dean’s foot injury.
“With Eagles LB Nakobe Dean out for about a month due to a foot injury, Philadelphia is signing former Titans’ first-round pick, LB Rashaan Evans, to its practice squad, per sources,” Schefter tweeted on September 11, 2023.
After a standout career at Alabama, the Titans selected Evans with the No. 22 overall selection in the 2018 NFL draft. Evans spent his first four seasons in Tennessee starting 50 games over this span. The veteran linebacker went on to start all 17 games for the Falcons last season notching a career-high 159 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3 quarterback hits, 2 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries.
Rashaan Evans Was Selected by the Tennessee Titans in the First Round of the 2018 NFL Draft
What to know about Eagles new LB Rashaan Evans, who is reportedly being signed to the practice squad:
** 6-foot-2, 232 pounds
** 27-years old
** 1st-round pick in 2018 NFL Draft
** Was on Titans practice squad
** Has played 3,887 snaps with 67 starts in his career
** Played 565…
Evans has put up good numbers over his NFL career but has not scored highly with Pro Football Focus’ evaluations. The veteran earned a 59.6 grade from PFF for his play in 2022. Heading into the 2018 draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein labeled Evans as a starter with “high-end potential.”
“Ascending linebacker talent who has the speed to fly around from sideline to sideline and played with an improved feel for the position in 2017,” Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft profile of Evans. ”
“Despite limited playing time over his first few seasons, Evans adapted a ‘work while you wait’ mindset that prepared him to for impressive performances in three consecutive national championship games. Evans is an ideal inside linebacker fit for a blitz-happy 3-4 unit, but he could easily fit as a 4-3 WILL with rush potential on sub-packages. Evans is an early starter with high-end potential if he can stay healthy.”
Eagles News: Philadelphia Is Expecting Linebacker Nakobe Dean to be Out for ‘Multiple Weeks,’ Per Insider
#Eagles sign LB Rashaan Evans to PS
The veteran had 159 tkls last year in Atlanta #FlyEaglesFly
The Eagles are preparing for life without Dean for “multiple weeks” as the former Georgia defender recovers from a foot injury, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The good news is Dean’s injury does not appear to require surgery. Evans will begin his Eagles tenure on the practice squad, and it will be interesting to see if the veteran can crack the rotation during Dean’s absence.
“Eagles LB Nakobe Dean is expected to miss multiple weeks with a foot injury suffered yesterday in their win over the Patriots, sources say,” Rapoport tweeted on September 11. “It was relatively decent news considering, as no surgery is required — he should be back with plenty of time this season.”
Even with the addition of Evans, the Eagles still lack depth at middle linebacker, especially with Dean sidelined. It would not be a surprise if Philadelphia looks to make an additional move at the position in the coming days.
The good news is the Eagles still have one of the best defenses in the NFL. Philadelphia opens up as a sizable 7.5-point favorite over Minnesota in Week 2, per FanDuel.