Once ticketed to be Derrick Henry‘s backup, Darrynton Evans did not finish out his rookie contract in Tennessee. But the former third-round pick is coming back to the AFC South.
After Evans worked out for the Colts on Friday, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reports he will sign with the team (Twitter link). The Colts will be Evans’ third NFL team, with this agreement coming after stints with the Titans and Bears on his rookie deal.
The Appalachian State product — he of a 4.41-second 40-yard dash time in 2020 — does not have much NFL tread on his tires. Evans accumulated just 30 carries in three seasons. He starred at the Sun Belt program, however, stringing together back-to-back 1,100-yard rushing seasons. This included a 1,480-yard year — a season that featured 23 total touchdowns — in 2019. That enticed the Titans to draft him 93rd overall in 2020.
Injuries derailed Evans’ path to be Henry’s top backup; he played in just six games with the Titans. He was not available when Henry went down with a fractured foot in 2021, having aggravated a previous knee injury shortly before the rushing champion went down. The Titans ended up giving the Henry fill-in gig to in-season pickup D’Onta Foreman, and the ex-third-rounder showed starter capabilities in that role and in Carolina.
The Titans, who at one point tried Evans at wide receiver, waived the underwhelming back in March 2022. The Bears claimed the 203-pound back, and he totaled 64 yards on 14 carries last season, playing behind David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert.
Evans, 24, will attempt to land a job as one of Jonathan Taylor‘s backups. The Colts acquired Zack Moss to be Taylor’s top reserve, in the deadline trade that sent Nyheim Hines to the Bills, but the team has since imported a new coaching staff. Shane Steichen will kick the tires on Evans as a possible reserve option.