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. [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]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+5⁄8 in (1.82 m) | 199 lb (90 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.60 s | 1.57 s | 2.67 s | 41+1⁄2 in (1.05 m) | 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) | 14 reps | 25 | ||
| All values from NFL Combine/Texas A&M's Pro Day [5] [4] | ||||||||||||
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Buccaneers draft Justin Evans 50th overall | |
| 2017 NFL Draft Profile: Justin Evans |
2017
The 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]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Evans dives in the end zone for an interception | |
| Justin Evans picks off Brett Hundley on a deep pass |
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]
2018–2020
Evans 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]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Justin Evans scoops up Gillislee's fumble for a TD | |
| Evans jumps onfeon of JuJu for INT on Big Ben |
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 Saints
On April 4, 2022, after missing the 2021 season, Evans signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints. [31]
Philadelphia Eagles
On 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]
