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Chris Evans

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/19/24

August 19th, 2024 at 8:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

  • Placed on IR: T Earl Bostick

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: C Mike Panasiuk, LB Mike Smith Jr.
  • Placed on IR: C Ryan Coll
  • Waived/injured: G Josh Sills
  • Released via injury settlement: RB Trent Pennix

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed: LS Randen Plattner
  • Waived: OL McKade Mettauer

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: WR Justin Hall
  • Waived: WR Ty James, P Seth Vernon

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: LB Kyahva Tezino

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: TE Michael Ezeike, TE Devon Garrison
  • Waived: LB Devin Richardson, CB Willie Roberts

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: DL Brandon Matterson

Washington Commanders

Smith sustained a torn patellar tendon during a Bengals joint practice with the Bears, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler reports. He joins Evans in sustaining a season-ending injury during that workout. A 2021 fourth-round pick, Smith was believed to have earned the Bengals’ swing tackle role early last year. But he did not see any game action in Year 3. Having played in just three career games, Smith has seen his career hit a crossroads after this injury. His rookie contract expires after the season. This further depletes a Bengals O-line that will be without first-rounder Amarius Mims for a bit due to a strained pec.

A former Bengals starter, Adeniji joined the Browns in March. A knee injury sidelined Adeniji recently, and while Kevin Stefanski said the veteran O-lineman will miss “a little bit of time,” this transaction will likely lead to an injury settlement that sends him back to free agency for a stretch. The Bengals used Adeniji as a starter in each of their four 2021 playoff games, before spending to upgrade their O-line the following year. Adeniji, a 2020 sixth-rounder, played in one Vikings game last season.

Brown and Lamar Jackson sustained injuries during the Panthers’ most recent preseason game, adding to Carolina’s issues — headlined by Dane Jackson‘s significant hamstring setback — at corner. Formerly a Cowboys regular, Brown has struggled to stick with a team as of late. He spent 2023 with three teams — the Steelers, 49ers and Jets — and played in just two games. This came after Brown was with Dallas for six seasons, starting 69 games.

A five-game starter for the 2021 Super Bowl champion Rams, Hollins played for three teams last season. The former Broncos draftee was with the Packers, Giants and Chargers. He has 10.5 career sacks, one coming last season.

Bengals RB Chris Evans Suffers Season-Ending Injury

August 15th, 2024 at 8:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Chris Evans has suffered a season-ending injury. Per Jordan Schultz, the Bengals running back suffered a torn patellar tendon that will force him to miss the 2024 campaign.

Schultz notes that the running back faces a recovery timeline of nine months, and the Bengals expect the player to make a full recovery. Evans suffered the injury during today’s practice, with ESPN’s Courtney Cronin and Ben Baby reporting that the RB was injured while covering for a kickoff. Evans’ leg was placed in an air cast before he was carted off the practice field.

The 2021 sixth-round pick has spent his entire career in Cincinnati. Evans has seen a consistent role on special teams during his Cincinnati tenure, collecting seven tackles and returning 14 kickoffs for a 22.4-yard average. He’s only collected 137 offensive snaps in his 34 career games, but he showed some flashes as a rookie, hauling in 15 of his 17 targets and averaging 4.5 yards on his 17 carries.

2023 marked a low point for the player, as he found himself firmly behind Joe Mixon, Trayveon Williams, and Chase Brown. He was reportedly rebounding this summer, with both Schultz and Baby noting that Evans was having a very strong training camp. The Bengals added Zack Moss this offseason to replace Mixon atop the depth chart, but it sounds like Evans had an opportunity to leap some of his teammates for a key backup role.

Bengals Eyeing RB Addition?

July 14th, 2023 at 10:25am CST by Adam La Rose

The uncertain status of Joe Mixon clouds the Bengals’ future at the running back position, but the top of the depth chart is not the only place where questions remain. Regardless of what happens with Mixon, a depth addition would not come as a surprise.

A pay cut has been floated as a potential solution for Mixon to remain in place as the focal point of Cincinnati’s backfield, but few developments on that front have emerged recently. Team and player are hoping to have the situation resolved soon, with the Bengals having a number of other priorities to deal with in the summer, including extensions for the likes of Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins and Logan Wilson.

The loss of Mixon in particular would create a hole at the RB spot, however, and require a late addition aimed at filling it. As things stand, the free agent departure of Samaje Perine has led to questions about which back would occupy his pass-catching role. The incumbent options – veteran Trayveon Williams, 2021 sixth-rounder Chris Evans and fifth-round rookie Chase Brown – offer little-to-no experience in that regard at the NFL level.

As a result, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic predicts that another running back will be added during the summer to provide a known commodity on third downs (subscription required). Williams and Evans have combined to make just 26 receptions in their careers, while the majority of Brown’s production at Illinois came on the ground rather than through the air. Giving Mixon (if retained) a three-down role for 2023 is unlikely, Dehner notes, meaning the Bengals could be players on the open market.

Deep into what has been an underwhelming offseason at the running back spot, several options are available as short-term options while the team evaluates its younger players at the position. Evans, for instance, is in danger of losing his roster spot if training camp does not produce an impressive performance, per Dehner. High-profile names like Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott are still unsigned, but other veterans such as Kareem Hunt and J.D. McKissic would be better-suited if a strictly pass-catching role is the one being targeted.

The Bengals currently have just under $15MM in cap space, but that figure will be subject to change in the coming weeks, especially if Mixon is released (a move which would yield over $10MM in cap savings). Plenty will depend on the Pro Bowler’s fate, of course, but the team will be one to watch on the summer RB market as they look to replace Perine’s notable backup production.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/17/21

May 17th, 2021 at 3:54pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Bengals were busy on Monday, inking all seven of their Day 3 picks to their rookie deals. We’ll keep track of all of today’s draft pick signings below:

Cincinnati Bengals

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders