Tag: Darrynton Evans

Instant reaction: Bills create more roster questions with loss to Panthers in preseason finale

Instant reaction: Bills create more roster questions with loss to Panthers in preseason finale

The Buffalo Bills fell to the Carolina Panthers 31-26 in their final preseason game ahead of the 2024 season. The Bills faired well despite not playing any of their starters in this game.

The Bills offense finally found a pulse, scoring three touchdowns. Ben DiNucci helped end the preseason touchdown drought with an 18-yard swing pass to running back Darrynton Evans. Frank Gore Jr. had a breakout game, culminating with a five-yard touchdown run. To top things off, KJ Hamler scored a one-yard rushing touchdown.

Impressively, quarterbacks Ben DiNucci and Anthony Brown combined to go 22-of-27 for 156 yards and one touchdown. The duo did a nice job for a third preseason game, as the pair were not on Buffalo’s radar until a rash of injuries occurred in the quarterback room.

At the very least, DiNucci made a case to start the season as Josh Allen’s reserve.

Buffalo’s offensive line was solid throughout the afternoon. The group did a solid job of creating space for running backs and providing time for quarterbacks to throw. In particular, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and Tylan Grable looked impressive at the point of attack.

The offensive line helped Frank Gore Jr. with his breakout game. Gore rushed 18 times for 101 yards and a rushing touchdown. He was elusive and decisive with his running. In addition, Darrynton Evans was shifty and did a nice job gaining extra yards throughout the afternoon. Evans had three rushes for 15 yards. However, Evans was impressive as a pass catcher, reeling in three receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown. Both players put themselves on the radar for, at the very least, a practice squad spot.

While DiNucci and Brown did a nice job with their limited time in camp, it did impact the receivers. Several receivers are fighting for a roster spot, and it was difficult to get the ball in their hands to show off their skills. Shavers did well in training camp, but he did not explode in preseason games. He just missed out on a touchdown reception, as a DiNucci pass just went off his fingertips in the end zone.

Zach Davidson has made his name known, earning extra snaps throughout training camp. The Bills TE3, Quintin Morris, has missed time due to a shoulder injury. Davidson did not have a massive stat line today, with three receptions or 19 yards. However, he had a nice catch and has shown he can compete at this level. It remains to be seen if Morris’ injury creates a roster spot.

Linebacker Joe Andreessen earned a large chunk of snaps today. He had an inconsistent game, as he did well with plugging holes and using his athleticism to move sideline-to-sideline. However, a miscommunication with Deion Jones allowed Jordan Matthews to be wide open for a touchdown. He was also blocked out of place on Mike Boone’s touchdown run. However, Andressen could still be the best option to provide depth for the linebacker group.

The Bills secondary, however, was torched multiple times. Some of the mistakes were mental, while others were just missed tackles. Buffalo allowed 340 yards through the air today. Outside of Ja’Marcus Ingram, it’s challenging to see if any of the depth secondary players who played today will contribute throughout the season.

Another concern connects to Tyler Bass. Bass was perfect for the first two preseason games, successfully making five field goals. However, Bass’ field goal miss was bad. It didn’t look good from the initial strike. Buffalo needs to work with Bass on getting his mojo back. Otherwise, the team will have massive questions when attempting field goals in the 50-55-yard range.

There’s still a lot to be decided by Tuesday’s roster deadline. Right now, it feels like there might be more questions for Buffalo now than when the team arrived at training camp at St. John Fisher.

The biggest concern today is that several of the bubble players did not have a performance that cemented their name into the final roster.

General Manager Brandon Beane has a lot to consider over the next 72 hours. It’s going to be a bit challenging to unpack as the team moves toward naming the final roster.

5 takeaways from Buffalo Bills preseason finale vs. Panthers

The Buffalo Bills completed their 2024 preseason campaign with a 31-26 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Saturday afternoon at Highmark Stadium. Head coach Sean McDermott gave his starting units the afternoon off, allowing depth players to take their …

The Buffalo Bills completed their 2024 preseason campaign with a 31-26 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Saturday afternoon at Highmark Stadium.

Head coach Sean McDermott gave his starting units the afternoon off, allowing depth players to take their last chance at claiming a final roster spot.

Carolina, meanwhile, played their starters early in the game. Bills fans were treated to early drives by 2023 No.1 overall pick Bryce Young.

This final preseason game had much at stake, as NFL teams must name their 53-man roster by Tuesday at 4 p.m. While several players hope to be part of the regular season roster, others compete for practice squad spots. Even more so, this game helps players put together some game tape for other teams.

Here are five takeaways from Buffalo’s preseason action against Carolina:

It took 10 quarters, but the Bills finally found the end zone this preseason. Ben DiNucci found Darrynton Evans on a wheel route for an 18-yard touchdown.

Buffalo scored their second touchdown of the preseason in the fourth quarter, as Frank Gore Jr. bulled forward for a five-yard touchdown run.

To top it off the Bills scored a late rushing touchdown with KJ Hamler. All of the Bills running backs were sidelined, so Buffalo turned to Hamler. He plowed ahead for a one-yard dive for a fourth-quarter score.

Buffalo methodically moved down the field on all of their scoring drives, using a combination of quick passes and timely runs to move down the field.

The Bills were successful on both of their two-point conversions as well.

Frank Gore Jr. and Darrynton Evans were effective with their touches. Both Gore and Evans showed an ability to get extra yards, whether with their shiftiness or with pure power.

Gore Jr. rushed 18 times for 101 yards and a rushing touchdown. Gore Jr. also had a reception on the day. Evans, meanwhile, rushed three times for 15 yards. Evans added three receptions for 28 yards and a receiving touchdown.

Both are candidates for a practice squad spot. James Cook, Ray Davis, and Ty Johnson are at the top of the depth chart. Both can fill in during the season if necessary.

With the injury to Mitchell Trubisky, there’s some worry regarding the Bills backup quarterback spot entering the season. Trubisky is currently “week-to-week” with a knee injury.

Ben DiNucci did his best to show that he can be the man to lead the Buffalo offense if necessary. DiNucci moved the offense fairly well during this time on the field. Outside of one wayward pass that was nearly intercepted, DiNucci got the ball out of his hands quickly and decisively.

DiNucci ended his time 11-of-15 for 76 passing yards and one touchdown. He added two rushes for 14 yards.

DiNucci’s showing gives the Bills some options with the reserve quarterback spot. If Trubisky is not ready for Week 1, Buffalo could turn to the former Cowboy for a short time this season.

Two names that popped out during this preseason were wide receiver Tyrell Shavers and linebacker Joe Andreessen. Andreessen has moved his way into roster contention with his sideline-to-sideline tackling. The linebacker exploded last week against Pittsburgh with 12 tackles. Shavers has looked good in training camp activities. With injuries depleting the depth chart at both of their respective positions, the duo’s names have been mentioned quite a bit in making the roster.

Shavers caught two passes for 15 yards today. However, he just missed out on a touchdown off of his fingertips. Shavers torched the cornerback, but the pass was just out of reach.

Andreessen registered eight tackles for the Bills. He also contributed to special teams. The only downfall was on Carolina’s first touchdown, when he and Deion Jones had a miscommunication, leaving Jordan Matthews wide-open in the end zone.

Still, the totality of their contributions this preseason put the duo on the edge of a final roster spot. Their ability to play on special teams helps as well.

Throughout the preseason, there were reports that Tyler Bass was having some struggles with field goals. The hope was that Bass would get off to a fast start to erase the image of his field goal miss against the Chiefs during the playoffs.

Bass had connected on all five of his field goals prior to today’s game. However, Bass missed a 51-yard field goal badly, as the ball never seemed to have a chance. It didn’t look like it was struck well at all.

Could it just be one bad kick? Possibly. However, Bass owned kicks of this length in the past. Now, it just doesn’t seem automatic.

Grading the Colts’ 2023 free agent signings one year later

One year later, grading the Colts’ 2023 free agent signings.

With the benefit of hindsight, we now have a full season’s worth of information to judge the signings the Indianapolis Colts made during the 2023 offseason.

Some of them panned out better than expected. Others not so much.

Simply looking at the outside free agents brought onto the roster last offseason, we’re here to re-grade the signings the Colts made one year later. So we won’t be discussing the re-signings of players like Tyquan Lewis and E.J. Speed, both of which turned out exceptionally.

For reference, we’ll compare the initial grade we gave at the moment to how we currently feel about the signing.

Without further ado, here are our grades for the Colts’ free-agent class of 2023 one year later:

Bills sign 13 players to reserve/future contracts

Full list:

(Update 1/24, 6:30 p.m.): The Bills have also signed QB Shane Buechele to a reserve/future contract:

Previous coverage: 

The Buffalo Bills had inked 11 players to reserve/future contracts earlier this week. Then on Tuesday, two more were added to the bunch.

A reserve/future contract guarantees that a player cannot be signed by another team. The deal goes into effect once the new league year begins and will count towards the next season’s salary cap and 90-man roster for the offseason and training camp.

Of the 13, 11 were on the team’s practice squad during the 2023 season. Two of them, wide receiver KJ Hamler and safety Kendall Williamson, were not.

Here’s the full list of the 13 players the Bills have signed to reserve/future deals:

Dolphins elevate RB Darrynton Evans for Week 15

Miami elevates practice-squad RB for the second time this year.

The Miami Dolphins have some injuries at running back at the moment.

Salvon Ahmed and Chris Brooks remain on injured reserve. De’Von Achane has been dealing with an injury that’s made him questionable for this week. Even Raheem Mostert was on the injury report this week.

With that, the Dolphins have used one of their two elevations of running back Darrynton Evans.

Evans, 25, has been elevated one other time this season, so he has just one more for the rest of the year. In his one previous appearance for Miami, he rushed for 16 yards on two attempts. However, he did have a poor exchange with Tua Tagovailoa that resulted in a fumble.

Dolphins elevate RB Darrynton Evans for Week 12

Miami calls up a RB for Friday’s game.

The Miami Dolphins have had a number of injuries to the running back position this year.

Chris Brooks and Salvon Ahmed are currently on injured reserve, and De’Von Achane is questionable for Friday’s game with a knee injury.

That leaves just Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. as healthy backs on the 53-man roster.

To add some more depth for their battle against the New York Jets, Miami has elevated running back Darrynton Evans from their practice squad.

Evans spent time with the practice squad earlier in the year before being signed to the Chicago Bears active roster. He was re-signed to the practice squad this week.

In 17 career games, he’s rushed for 230 yards and a touchdown on 3.8 yards per carry with another 120 yards and a score on 12 receptions.

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Dolphins make a trio of roster moves on Tuesday

One goes to IR, one signs with the 53 and one signs with the practice squad.

The Miami Dolphins continue to get bit by the injury bug throughout their 2023 campaign.

On Tuesday, they placed running back Salvon Ahmed on injured reserve after he suffered a foot injury during Miami’s battle with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

He’ll now have to miss at least four games before he returns, and the Dolphins are running out of designations.

That leaves just Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. as the lone healthy backs on the active roster, with De’Von Achane also dealing with a knee issue.

To replace Ahmed on the 53-man roster, the Dolphins signed wide receiver Robbie Chosen from their own practice squad. He was elevated for the second time this year last week and recorded two receptions for 39 yards.

That move left an open spot on the practice squad, which Miami has filled by signing running back Darrynton Evans. That name may seem familiar, and that would be because he was with the team earlier this year before he was signed to the Chicago Bears active roster.

If the Dolphins only have Mostert and Wilson going into Friday, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Evans get an elevation.

Bears run game has been dominant in past 4 games

Even down two of their top running backs, the Bears run game has thrived in the last month.

The Chicago Bears were the NFL’s top ranked rushing offense last season. And while they got off to a bit of a slow start this year, they’re once again a top five unit in the league.

The Bears are averaging 141.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks fifth in the NFL. But they’ve really hit their stride over the past four games, averaging  171 rushing yards per game. They’ve rushed for 171 yards (Broncos), 178 yards (Commanders), 162 yards (Vikings) and 173 yards (Raiders).

It’s made all the more impressive considering Chicago has been without its top two running backs in the past two games. Khalil Herbert landed on injured reserve with an ankle injury while rookie Roschon Johnson has been dealing with a concussion.

But veteran D’Onta Foreman has more than stepped up in their absence. After being inactive for four straight games, Foreman has been a reliable force on the ground with 31 rushes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He’s averaged 5.0 yards per carry.

Foreman’s best game came in Week 7, where the team leaned on him and Darrynton Evans with undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent making his first NFL start. Foreman accounted for 120 total yards (89 rushing, 31 receiving) and three total touchdowns, while averaging 5.6 yards per carry.

With Johnson slated to return this week against the Raiders — and Herbert expected to return in a few weeks — things could get interesting in the running back room. There are plenty of capable backs — now it’s about spreading the wealth.

5 keys to a Bears victory over the Vikings in Week 6

The Bears take on the Vikings looking for their second straight win. Here are five keys to a Chicago victory.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up to host the rival Minnesota Vikings in Week 6, and it’s a tale of two 1-4 teams who have drastically different outlooks on their seasons.

Chicago is coming off a statement win against the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football, which saw quarterback Justin Fields throw four touchdown passes, and the team is nearly at full strength as key players return from injury.

Minnesota, on the other hand, is falling well short of expectations following a 13-4 2022 campaign. And their most recent loss to the Chiefs was only made things worse when perennial All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson was placed on injured reserve this week. The Vikings are wounded, and they’re looking at the Bears as a real Viking would look at his prey after starving for days.

Despte the loss of Jefferson, the purple and gold will not give up the win easily. Chicago needs to succeed in five key categories in order to take down their divisional foe from the snow-capped north of Minnesota.

Let’s break down the five keys to a Bears victory against the Vikings in Week 6.

Bears announce several roster moves, including Kyler Gordon designated to return from IR

The Bears designated CB Kyler Gordon and C Doug Kramer to return from IR and officially signed RB Darrynton Evans to the active roster.

The long weekend for the Chicago Bears has come and gone, and now it’s back to business as usual, which includes a flurry of roster moves as they prepare for a Week 6 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. On Monday, the Bears announced they signed running back Darrynton Evans to the active roster as well as quarterback Nathan Peterman to the practice squad. The Bears are also welcoming back a few players from injury, as they designated cornerback Kyler Gordon and center Doug Kramer to return from injured reserve.

Evans spent the 2022 season with the Bears, primarily on their practice squad. He played in six games, rushing 14 times for 64 yards. He bounced around the league during the 2023 offseason, most notably with the Buffalo Bills, where he made a statement against the Bears in the final preseason game with nine carries for 65 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown. Evans was most recently on the Miami Dolphins practice squad before coming to the Bears.

The signing of Evans is in response to the ankle injury running back Khalil Herbert suffered during last Thursday’s 40-20 win against the Washington Commanders. Herbert is expected to miss multiple weeks with the injury.

While the Bears are preparing to be without Herbert for the next few weeks, they could be getting a key player back in the fold. Gordon is set to return to practice this week after spending the last four weeks on injured reserve. He suffered a broken hand in the team’s Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Gordon had one tackle and one pass defensed before exiting the game.

Kramer, meanwhile, is also returning to practice after missing the first five weeks of the season. The second-year center was injured in the team’s final preseason game and has yet to play in a regular-season game. Both players will need to be activated within 21 days, or they will revert back to injured reserve.