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Hey, good for Justin Evans. The New Orleans Saints backup safety is signing with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. It’s a one-year deal for the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-round pick.
Evans is a great story. He’s only 27 years old but lost several years of his career recovering from complicated lower-leg injuries, and he impressed Saints coaches so strongly last summer they were willing to move on from disgruntled slot corner CJ Gardner-Johnson by the end of training camp. He ultimately played 391 snaps on defense, mainly covering the slot and lining up over the top at free safety, while also running with the kickoff and punt coverage units on special teams.
Evans was an important depth player for the Saints throughout the year, even if he struggled a bit in a starting role. They’ll need to make moves like signing former Houston Texans starter Lonnie Johnson Jr. to overcome this loss. He may factor into the compensatory picks formula for the 2024 NFL draft but we’ll have to wait and see what his contract is valued at to know for sure.
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Story originally appeared on Saints Wire