Following the departure of Foyesade Oluokun in free agency, the Atlanta Falcons were a little understaffed at linebacker — especially with Deion Jones’ long-term status in question. Aside from Jones, who could be traded for cap savings after June 1, Atlanta returned with only Mykal Walker and former UDFA Dorian Etheridge as of the 2021 season.
The Falcons addressed that roster hole by adding a veteran to their linebacker corps Monday afternoon and signing former first-round pick Rashaan Evans to a one-year contract. Evans visited Atlanta last week and it appears the two sides have now reached an agreement. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to break the news.
Former Titans first-round pick linebacker Rashaan Evans has agreed to a one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons, according to his agents @DrewJRosenhaus and @RyanMatha. Evans will now be reunited with Falcons’ HC Arthur Smith and DC Dean Pees, who coached him in Tennessee.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2022
Rashaan Evans was drafted by the Tennessee Titans with a 22 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Though Evans has started 50 games for the Titans over the past four seasons, he never quite lived up to the hype of his first-round pick. However, he was still a prolific player with a total of 57 tackles (35 solo), 3.0 TFL, 1 FF, 2 PD and 2 INT in 11 starts during the 2021 season. Evans had his best season in 2019, starting all 16 games and put up 111 total tackles (69 solo), 0.0 TFL and 2.5 sacks.
Evans obviously fits in with Dean Pees’ defense, having played under him in Tennessee in 2018-2019. At 6’2, 232, Evans adds size, physicality and tons of starting experience to the linebacker group. He expects to compete with third-year player Mykal Walker for the starting job against Deion Jones this offseason and would almost certainly be in line should Jones be traded after June 1.
After signing Evans, the Falcons’ linebacker depth chart looks something like this:
Deion Jones
Mykal Walker
Rashaan Evans
Dorian Etheridge
Rashad Smith
Join us as we welcome Rashaan Evans to Atlanta.