HEADLINES

Rashaan Evans

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/24/24

December 24th, 2024 at 5:23pm CST by Adam La Rose

Tuesday’s taxi squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: K Andre Szmyt

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

Szmyt spent time on the Bears’ practice squad last year before playing with the USFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks recently. The 26-year-old terminated his pact with the spring league club to take a deal in Cleveland. A former All-American and Lou Graza winner as the country’s top kicker during his college career, Szmyt could see time late in the year given the Browns’ kicking struggles in 2024.

Thomas appeared to be on his way to join the Colts after he was claimed off waivers by Indianapolis. The veteran corner failed his physical upon arrival with his new team, however, leading to another trip to the waiver wire. No teams put in a claim this time around, but shortly after reaching free agency Thomas has landed a deal. The former 49er has 42 games and 11 starts to his name, and he will provide Minnesota with cornerback depth through the closing stages of the campaign.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/21/24

December 21st, 2024 at 7:34pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions and standard gameday practice squad elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

After being activated from injured reserve in early November, Bates only played two games before suffering a concussion. The 27-year-old has not played since Week 11 and will now miss the remainder of the season on IR. Bates is under contract through 2025.

Falcons Place Ruke Orhorhoro On IR

November 1st, 2024 at 3:57pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Falcons have placed defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro on injured reserve, according to The Athletic’s Josh Kendall, sidelining the rookie for at least four weeks.

Orhorhoro injured his ankle in Week 8 against the Buccaneers, a disappointing setback after he finally saw his first NFL action at the beginning of October. His debut was delayed by healthy inactive designations in Weeks 1-4 as the 35th overall pick acclimated to the pros. He recorded just five tackles across his four appearances this year while playing no more than a third of the Falcons’ defensive snaps in each game.

Atlanta was not relying heavily on their second-round pick, with a deep defensive line group headlined by Pro Bowler Grady Jarrett. Veterans Eddie Goldman and David Onyemata have started alongside Garrett, with Zach Harrison, Kentavius Street, and Ta’Quon Graham all filling rotational roles. Fourth-rounder Brandon Dorlus could be in line for his NFL debut after spending the first eight weeks on the sidelines as a healthy scratch.

The Falcons signed linebacker Rashaan Evans to fill Orhorhoro’s spot on the 53-man roster, per Kendall. The veteran started all 17 games for Atlanta in 2022 and led the team with 159 tackles, though that was in a different defense than the one currently ran by head coach Raheem Morris.

Linebacker Kaden Elliss has started every game for the Falcons this season, with Nathan Landman and 2022 second-rounder Troy Andersen splitting time next to him. Evans will bring more of a veteran presence to Atlanta’s linebacker room as they attempt to maintain their lead in the NFC South.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/21/24

October 21st, 2024 at 8:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/12/24

October 12th, 2024 at 5:28pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s practice squad transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

King made a long-awaited return to the NFL this season. After sitting out of the 2022 NFL season for personal reasons and tearing his Achilles tendon in the ramp up to the 2023 season, King hadn’t been seen in the NFL in over two years. The former second-round pick out of Washington has always had talent, but injury issues have kept him consistently off the field. In 2019, the only year in which King missed fewer than five games, the talented defensive back recorded five interceptions.

Despite a standout performance on defense in Atlanta this offseason, King saw very few snaps on defense in the regular season before being released this week. King was praised for his defensive versatility throughout camp and the preseason, but thus far, the Falcons had mostly utilized the veteran on special teams. He returns to the roster via the practice squad.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/30/24

September 30th, 2024 at 8:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Las Vegas Raiders

Rashaan Evans has landed in a familiar spot. The veteran linebacker has signed with the Falcons practice squad, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. After spending the first four seasons of his career in Tennessee, the former first-round pick spent the 2022 campaign in Atlanta. He ended up having a career year, compiling a team-leading 159 tackles to go along with two sacks and one forced fumble.

Despite the counting stats, it took Evans until last September to find another gig, this time in Philly. He lasted less than a week with the Eagles before settling in Dallas. He ended up getting into nine games with the Cowboys, but he was waived in December after getting arrested for possession of marijuana.

While it once again took him until September to find a job, he’ll step into a potential role in Atlanta, at least temporarily. The Falcons need a bit of depth following the injury to Troy Andersen. At the end of his standout performance on Sunday (16 tackles and a pick-six), the linebacker suffered a knee injury that’s been deemed day-to-day, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. With Nate Landman also sidelined, the Falcons may need some extra bodies when they take on the Buccaneers this Thursday.

Falcons Host LBs Kwon Alexander, Rashaan Evans, Josh Woods

September 13th, 2024 at 5:47pm CST by Adam La Rose

In search of veteran linebacker depth, the Falcons hosted three veterans at the position on Friday. Kwon Alexander, Rashaan Evans and Josh Woods visited the team, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo notes.

Atlanta has Kaden Elliss and Troy Andersen in place atop the depth chart at the position, but the team is thin on experienced options beyond those two. Former UDFA Milo Eifler was waived/injured during roster cutdowns, while Nate Landman has been limited during practice this week. His absence would create the need for at least a rotational option on defense along with a special teams contributor.

Alexander is familiar with the NFC South, having spent time with the Buccaneers and Saints. He also played for the 49ers and Jets prior to his Steelers contract signed last season. The 30-year-old made nine appearances and two starts in Pittsburgh before an Achilles tear ended his campaign. Alexander has not been connected to any suitors since, but news of his visit is a strong sign he is now healthy.

Evans served as a full-time starter in 2022 with the Falcons after a four-year run in Tennessee. The former first-rounder made a career-high 159 tackles during his Atlanta campaign, but his usage saw a notable drop last year with the Cowboys. Evans, 28, was let go by Dallas in late December after an arrest for marijuana possession. He could step back into a notable role upon returning to the Falcons, though.

With 66 combined regular and postseason appearances, Woods is the least experienced member of the trio. He has made only eight starts at the NFL level, but seven of those came last year with the Cardinals. The 28-year-old’s 61 tackles in 2023 were by far the most of his career after he primarily handled special teams duties with the Bears and Lions.

The Falcons have fifth-round rookie JD Bertrand in place as an option after he played 23 special teams snaps in Week 1. If a more experienced linebacker is targeted, though, it would come as no surprise if one of the three players hosted on Friday were to land a deal. Atlanta currently has roughly $10.8MM in cap space.

Cowboys Waive LB Rashaan Evans Following Arrest, Activate T Matt Waletzko Off IR

December 27th, 2023 at 9:32pm CST by Ely Allen

Needing some depth at offensive tackle, the Cowboys made the choice to activate second-year lineman Matt Waletzko from injured reserve, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. The team also took advantage of the active roster addition to waive veteran linebacker Rashaan Evans, who was arrested for marijuana possession yesterday in Frisco, Texas, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.

With starting offensive tackle Tyron Smith and versatile backup lineman Chuma Edoga both on the injury report this week, Waletzko finds his way back to the active roster just in time to provide some necessary depth. His practice window opened exactly 21 days ago, meaning that he may not be ready to return right away and that the move may have been necessary in order to avoid him reverting back to season-ending IR. Regardless, he’s back on the active roster now, and the Cowboys will be counting on him to provide some depth down the stretch of the regular season and beyond.

As for Evans, the team’s depth at linebacker is not exactly overflowing. That doesn’t exactly mean that the move is a reaction to the 28-year-old’s arrest this week. In fact, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News refuted that exact assertion, claiming that the Cowboys “downplayed the timing” of the two events even seeming to hint that Evans is a candidate to return to the practice squad, should he clear waivers. Though Evans earned a start earlier in the season, his usage as of late has shown that the team has been relying on the veteran linebacker less and less leading up to his placement on waivers, supporting the claim that waiving him may be unrelated to his arrest.

Regardless, Waletzko now holds the spot on the 53-man roster and will make an effort to contribute while he’s there. Evans, on the other hand, will await his fate on waivers with a chance to return to Dallas in a practice squad role.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/18/23

November 18th, 2023 at 8:55pm CST by Ely Allen

This week’s callups and minor moves heading into Sunday:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers:

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Evans had been called up from the practice squad three times by the Cowboys, meaning he needed to be added to the 53-man roster this week to continue suiting up. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports “several teams” attempted to poach the veteran off the taxi squad, but his decision to remain with Dallas has culminated in today’s move. Evans has logged 74 combined defensive and special teams snaps with the Cowboys so far, recording three tackles.

James was out of the lineup for one game after being designated for return, but he will be eligible to suit up for the upcoming Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles. Mentioned as a trade candidate earlier this year, he will be able to add depth to a WR corps which has underperformed to date, and add to his single catch recorded in his two Kansas City games at the start of the campaign.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/11/23

November 11th, 2023 at 9:06pm CST by Ely Allen

The NFL’s minor moves, including gameday callups for Sunday of Week 10:

Atlanta Falcons

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

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