Alan Rashaan Evans (born November 8, 1995) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...

, and was selected by the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

in the first round of the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington southwest of Dallas; it was ...

. Evans has also played for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

and

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

Early life

A native of

Auburn, Alabama Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama. The population was 76,143 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Auburn metropolitan area, Alabama, Aubu ...

, Evans attended Auburn High School, where he was teammates with

Reuben Foster Reuben Foster (born April 4, 1994) is an American professional football linebacker. A consensus All-American in high school, Foster was regarded as the best linebacker prospect of his class before committing to Alabama, where he played from 20 ...

. Evans finished with 77

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

(including 43 tackles for loss) and 17.5 sacks as a senior in high school, while adding five pass breakups, three forced

fumbles A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

, a blocked punt, and a fumble recovery. He was recognized as first team ASWA 6A All-State selection as a junior in 2012 and also played in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. Evans was a five-star

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the lin ...

according to

247Sports 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on college recruiting, athletic recruitment in college football and college basketball, basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount Global, Paramount. The website hosts a large ...

, rated the eleventh best player in the country; the number one outside linebacker in the country; and the second highest recruit from the state of Alabama behind fellow Alabama commit Marlon Humphrey. Evans was recognized as an

Under Armour All-American The Under Armour High School All-America Game is a high school football all-star game typically held in early January in the U.S. state of Florida created to spotlight the nation’s top high school seniors. The game was first played on January 5 ...

in 2014.

College career

Evans played

at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

. As a

true freshman The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

, he played on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

in 13 games with 15 tackles (two for loss) and a sack. As a sophomore, Evans again mostly played as a special teamer and reserve outside linebacker in 2015, though his two sacks against Clemson in the national championship victory that season put him on many scouts' radars. Evans was a second-team

All-Southeastern Conference The All-SEC football team is an annual Southeastern Conference (SEC) honor bestowed on the best players in the conference following every college football season. Seasons

Following is a list of all-conference teams in the history of the SEC: ...

pick in 2017, starting 12 games, tying for the team lead with 74 tackles, leading the team with 13 tackles for loss, making six sacks, and breaking up three passes. In the team's two playoff games in 2016 (his only starts of the year), Evans made 18 tackles from an

inside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the lin ...

position. He had 53 total for the year, including four sacks, six quarterback hurries, and a forced fumble in 14 games. Evans started 14 games over his final two seasons and appeared in three

CFP National Championship The College Football Playoff National Championship is a post-season college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which began play in the 2014 college football season. ...

contests with two victories. Evans graduated from Alabama in December 2017 with a degree in psychology.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

2018 season

The

selected Evans in the first round (22nd overall) of the

. Evans was the fifth linebacker drafted in 2018. On May 15, 2018, the Titans signed Evans to a four-year, $11.7 million contract that includes a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $6.59 million. Throughout

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

, Evans competed to be a starting inside linebacker against

Will Compton William Earl Compton III (born September 19, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons (Almost ten). Compton co-hosts a podcast, ''Bussin' Wi ...

and Jayon Brown. Head coach

Mike Vrabel Michael George Vrabel ( ; born August 14, 1975) is an American professional American football, football coach and former linebacker who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college footba ...

named Evans a backup inside linebacker to start the regular season, behind Wesley Woodyard and Will Compton. Evans was inactive for the Tennessee Titans' season-opening 27–20 loss at the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

due to a

hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...

injury. On September 23, 2018, Evans made his first career start, as well as his first career tackle, against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

in a 9–6 Week 3 victory. In Week 13, Evans collected a season-high eight combined tackles (six solo) during a 26–22 victory against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

. Evans finished his rookie season with 53 combined tackles (33 solo) and a pass deflection in 15 games and seven starts.

2019 season

In Week 4, Evans made 10 combined tackles and made his first NFL sack during a 24–10 road win at the

. Evans was credited with half a sack after he sacked Matt Ryan with teammate Isaiah Mack. During Week 10 against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, Evans recovered a fumble forced by teammate David Long Jr. on running back

Damien Williams Damien Williams (born April 3, 1992) is an American professional football running back. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He has also played for the Kans ...

and returned it for a 53 yard touchdown in the 35–32 victory.

2020 season

file:Rashaan Evans 2021 09-19.jpg, Evans with the

in 2021. In Week 1 against the Denver Broncos on ''Monday Night Football'', Evans was ejected for throwing a punch at tight end Jake Butt.

2021 season

The Titans declined to exercise the fifth-year option on Evans' contract on May 3, 2021, making him a free agent after the 2021 season.

Atlanta Falcons (first stint)

On April 4, 2022, Evans signed a one-year contract with the

. In Atlanta, he recorded career highs in total tackles, solo tackles, and assists.

Philadelphia Eagles

On September 12, 2023, the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

signed Evans to their

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. He was released three days later.

Dallas Cowboys

On October 11, 2023, the

signed Evans to their practice squad. The Cowboys signed him to their active roster on November 18. On December 26, 2023, Evans was arrested in

Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Collin County, Texas, Collin and Denton County, Texas, Denton counties. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex (DFW) and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth In ...

for possession of marijuana. He was subsequently waived by the Cowboys on December 27.

Atlanta Falcons (second stint)

On October 1, 2024, Evans signed with the Atlanta Falcons practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 1. He was released on December 21, and re-signed to the practice squad.

NFL statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Personal life

Evans is the second oldest of five children. He has one younger brother and three sisters. His father, Alan, was a running back at Auburn, and his mother, Chenavis, received four degrees from Auburn, including her doctorate. Evans' older sister was a cheerleader at Auburn, and, despite the family ties including his cousins attending Auburn, Evans chose to attend

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. Growing up in rural Alabama, Evans would chase wild horses to work on improving his speed and athleticism.

References

External links

Alabama Crimson Tide bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Rashaan 1995 births Living people Alabama Crimson Tide football players American football linebackers Auburn High School (Alabama) alumni Players of American football from Auburn, Alabama Tennessee Titans players Atlanta Falcons players Philadelphia Eagles players Dallas Cowboys players Under Armour All-American football players