The Dallas Cowboys have recently become a team who don’t mind taking a risk on a certain free agents when there’s a chance of a greater reward. These kind of low risk, high reward signings led them to bring in Aldon Smith last year and it could entice them into taking a chance on Safety Justin Evans as well.
Justin Evans is a former second-round pick (50th overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Dallas Cowboys showed an interest in him during the pre-draft process, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility he’s a potential free agent target. However, there is some risk involved.
Justin Evans looked to be an up-and-coming player as a rookie in 2018, starting 11 games and intercepting three passes, but a foot injury he sustained ended up derailing his Buccaneers career. He ended up ending his rookie campaign on injured reserve and then started training camp in 2019 on the physically unable to perform list (PUP). He started on the PUP list once again in 2020 and eventually was released in December.
Evans ended his four-year run with the Buccaneers with 125 tackles, four interceptions, eight passes defensed and one fumble recovery, which he returned 68 yards for a touchdown. He ended playing in 24 total games and starting 21 of those contests before injuries got the better of him.
Now a free agent, Justin Evans is hoping to put his injuries behind him and resurrect his NFL career. He would probably love nothing more than to accomplish both with the Dallas Cowboys. After all, they are a team who desperately need to both upgrade and add depth to their safety position.
I don’t know about you, but this is exactly the kind of risk/reward kind of offseason signing the Dallas Cowboys haven’t minded making here recently. Justin Evans without a doubt fits a “need” and at just 25 years old with a questionable injury history he shouldn’t be costly at all. Perhaps nothing more than an incentive-based, veteran minimum type of contract.
With that in mind, there’s very little risk involved in making Justin Evans one of the Dallas Cowboys free agent signings this offseason. If it doesn’t work out they simply part ways with little to no money involved. But, if he’s somehow able to rebound and play like he did as a rookie the Cowboys then have someone who could factor into their safety rotation in 2021. Sounds like a win-win to me.
