When head coach Zac Taylor and select members of his staff traveled to Mobile, Ala. for the Senior Bowl at the end of January, they were looking for a running back.
Not a running back who would compete with Joe Mixon for the No. 1 spot at the position, but rather one who would excel in pass protection as their primary role.
Enter Chris Evans, a former wide receiver turned running back who had just finished his career at Michigan. Evans, 5-foot-11 and 211 pounds, was a relatively unknown prospect at the time. That quickly changed after Taylor saw Evans in one-on-one drills while standing in the end zone.
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Evans was one the highest rated players in the country coming out of Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis at his position. When he arrived at Michigan, he made an immediate impact. It looked like Evans’ career was about to take off in Ann Arbor. He played in all 13 games in the 2016 season and rushed for 614 yards on 88 carries, averaging 7.0 yards per carry. He scored four touchdowns and added six catches for 87 yards in the passing game.
Chris Evans college career gets sidetracked at Michigan
The following season was even better from a production standpoint for Evans. And then came 2018 when his career took a turn for the worse. Evans suffered a leg injury that caused him to miss a few games and hampered his ability to perform at the level he did in the two seasons prior. He then was suspended in 2019 for what was deemed an academic issue and missed the entire season.
Evans calls what transpired a “mistake” and something he reminds himself of to this day.
While not being able to play football with his teammates at Michigan, Evans opted to stay nearby to work out and work. One of his jobs with his youth organization during this time was to work at Ford Field for S.A.F.E. Management security.
“We worked the security at Ford Field to like check people in and get people stuff for the thing,” Evans said. “And in 2019 when the Lions played the Giants, I was there doing security because I wasn’t in school, I wasn’t in football or nothing. So, the last time I was at that stadium I was helping with safe security and had a polo on and I got to watch the game after everybody got in.”
Chris Evans returns to Michigan, Ford Field
Fast-forward to Oct. 17, 2021 when Evans returned for Ford Field with a much different job. One that he dreamed about.
Evans assumed the No. 2 running back duties on Sunday when the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Detroit Lions. Samaje Perine, who is listed ahead of Evans on the Bengals’ depth chart, was unable to play due to being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. This was Evans time to shine.
Not only did Evans show he’s capable of making plays in an NFL game, he also showed what it means to be resilient. Evans learned from his mistake in college and refused to let it define him. Rather, he took it as an opportunity to prioritize what is important to him.
Taylor and the Bengals’ coaching staff knew Evans had the potential to fill an important role in the offense, they just hadn’t seen him do it in a game.
Now they know exactly what they have in Evans and he could become a bigger part of Cincinnati’s offense thanks to his pass-catching skills and his ability to own his role in pass protection.
Evans scored the Bengals’ first touchdown in Detroit and showed he can be another reliable weapon for Joe Burrow. But his best play of the day, according to his teammates and head coach, was the blitz pick up he had that allowed Burrow to find Chase for Cincinnati’s biggest play of the day.
That right there might moved him up Cincinnati’s depth chart because it is exactly what Taylor wants and needs in his offense. He owned the role the team saw for him back in January.
“He’d already caught our eye by the time we interviewed him,” Taylor said. “We asked him specific protection questions from Michigan. Some guys can maybe BS their way through it. But you can usually tell when it comes to protections. He knew it. He had a firm understanding. He wasn’t trying to guess his way through it. He was crystal clear with it. So then that just really puts him on your radar.”
Chris Evans and the comparisons to Giovani Bernard
Evans wears No. 25 for the Bengals and because of that, he automatically will draw comparisons to former Bengals running back Giovani Bernard. Bernard played eight seasons in Cincinnati and a big reason he was able to play so long for the Bengals was his ability to pass protect and make plays on third down.
It’s what Taylor is hoping he can be and why immediately after drafting Evans in the sixth round, Taylor asked him to watch film of Bernard in pass protection.
Evans followed his coach’s orders and quickly realized the opportunity he has in front of him.
“I know that’s gonna be a big part of my success,” Evans said. “However long I play in the NFL if you can pass protect just like how Gio did, you can hang around for a long, long time, especially if you can run routes. I took pride in that especially after I had that conversation and I was just like that’s what I’m gonna do. And Joe after the play was like ‘good block.’ And I was like ‘hey, that’s what I’m here for. I just gotta take pride in that and keep pushing and keep striving to get better.”
With so much attention going towards wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Mixon, Evans could be the player left open. There are only so many resources a defense can allocate to Cincinnati’s star-studded cast.
If Evans continues to make the most of his opportunities when they come, he could become what the old No. 25 was to the current Bengals.
And that could put this offense over the top.
“I just waited on my chance to show them that I could pass protect and make plays the way that I can, so I knew I could do it,” Evans said. “It's just all about trusting me and being able to go out there and do it when it's time to do it.”
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