Tag: Darrynton Evans

7 takeaways from the Bears’ preseason win over the Seahawks

From Justin Fields’ fit on offense to Teven Jenkins impressing at guard, here are our takeaways from the Bears’ preseason win vs. Seattle.

The second week of the preseason is just beginning for the rest of the NFL but for the Chicago Bears, it’s already concluded with a victory in hand. The Bears traveled to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Seattle Seahawks and made quick work of their opponents on a short week, winning 27-11.

The Bears starting offense only played one series, netting three points before they gave way to the reserves. But it didn’t matter who was on the field because the Bears capitalized at every turn, whether it was offense, defense, or special teams. It wasn’t until the very end that Seattle mounted any sort of comeback, but it was far too late to spoil a win.

Because the starters on both sides saw limited playing time, it can be difficult to find key takeaways but there was more than enough to dissect. Here are our takeaways from Thursday’s win.

Studs and duds from Bears’ preseason win vs. Seahawks

We’re taking a look at the studs and duds from the Bears’ preseason win over the Seahawks.

The Chicago Bears dominated the Seattle Seahawks in a 27-11 victory on Thursday night to improve to 2-0 this preseason.

Unlike last week’s slow start, Chicago built a huge first-half lead that they didn’t relinquish — even as Seattle attempted to rally in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

While Bears starters saw action for just one series, fans got a look at the guys further down the depth chart. And there were some standout performances among them.

We’re taking a look at the studs and duds from Chicago’s preseason win over Seattle.

Bears vs. Seahawks: Everything we know about Chicago’s preseason win

The Bears won their second preseason game on Thursday, beating the Seahawks 27-11 on the road. We break down the game here:

The Chicago Bears faced the Seattle Seahawks in the team’s second preseason game. The Bears are now 2-0 in the preseason following their 27-11 victory over Seattle.

Despite Seattle playing quarterback Geno Smith into the third quarter, the Bears’ passing defense played lights out en route to Thursday’s victory.

Though it’s only preseason, fans have much to like about Matt Eberflus and how he coaches this team. It’s more of an old-school approach, tailoring the offense and defense to fit their players, instead of trying to force a scheme.

Here’s everything we know about the Bears’ preseason win against the Seahawks:

WATCH: Bears offense opens first half with Darrynton Evans touchdown

Darrynton Evans scored a touchdown early in the second half to build the Bears lead over the Seahawks.

The Chicago Bears dominated the Seattle Seahawks in the first half of their preseason matchup and the second half is proving to be more of the same. The Bears, led by third-string quarterback Nathan Peterman, scored on their opening series of the half thanks to a one-yard dive by running back Darrynton Evans.

Evans had an easy go of it after an impressive few plays led the Bears down to the goal line. Peterman found receivers Dazz Newsome and Isaiah Coulter for big gains with an already short field. A pass to Jake Tonges set the Bears up at the one-yard line and Evans did the rest.

With rookie running back Trestan Ebner questionable to return with an ankle injury, Evans will see the bulk of the carries the rest of the way. The Bears lead Seattle 24-0 midway through the third quarter.

Bears 2022 training camp preview: Running backs

We’re previewing the Bears running backs ahead of training camp and examining the biggest question facing the group.

Chicago Bears training camp is less than a month away, which means it’s time to start looking ahead at the roster the team is bringing to Lake Forest.

We have already evaluated the quarterbacks and now it’s time to turn our attention to the running backs, arguably the most stable position group on the offense. The top two backs from 2021 return for this season as David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert are expected to see the bulk of the carries. The team opted not to re-sign veteran Damien Williams and instead brought in Darrynton Evans from the Tennessee Titans. The Bears also drafted pass-catching back Trestan Ebner from Baylor to replace Tarik Cohen’s production and even added fullback Khari Blasingame, signaling a renewed commitment to the ground game.

The Bears are expected to establish a strong running attack under new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, led primarily by Montgomery and Herbert. But players like Evans and Ebner will have a chance to be solid contributors as well. Here is our preview of the running backs as we get ready for training camp:

PFF not high on Bears’ running backs room heading into 2022

Running back is certainly the strength of the Bears offense. But PFF isn’t high on the duo of David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert.

We don’t know a lot about the Bears new offense under Luke Getsy. But there are a couple of things we do know: Justin Fields will be on the move and it’ll be a run-heavy scheme featuring the tandem of David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert.

Pro Football Focus examined each of the NFL’s running backs rooms heading into the 2022 season. But they didn’t seem to have a lot of faith in the Montgomery and Herbert duo. They landed in the “gets the job done (good starter or good depth)” tier at 16th in the league.

This is the strength of Chicago’s offensive roster, which doesn’t speak super well to the talent put in place around Justin Fields. David Montgomery ranks in the 76th percentile among all qualifying backs in missed tackles forced per rushing attempt and the 85th percentile in missed tackles forced per reception across his first three NFL seasons. The Bears will be looking for him to get back to his 2020 level of play (80.2 PFF grade) next year. This past year’s draft selection Khalil Herbertshowed some promise as a rookie behind Montgomery. His 84.4 rushing grade led all rookies with at least 100 carries.

Montgomery is entering a contract year with the Bears, where he’s proven to be one of their most reliable weapons. Despite missing four games last season, Montgomery had 225 carries for 849 yards (3.8 YPC) and seven scores.

Herbert is coming off an encouraging rookie season, where he stepped in for four games in place of an injured Montgomery. From Weeks 5-8, Herbert rushed for 344 yards, never rushing for less than 72 yards during that span.

This offseason, the Bears added Darrynton Evans and rookie Trestan Ebner, along with fullback Khari Blasingame, where Chicago will be leaning on its run game to take some pressure off Fields.

PFF does acknowledge that running back is the strength of Chicago’s offense. So the fact that they’re ranked among the middle of the pack in that aspect isn’t reassuring for the offense’s expectations as a whole.

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Bears RB Darrynton Evans wants former teammate Julio Jones in Chicago

RB Darrynton Evans is already recruiting his former Titans teammate WR Julio Jones to the Bears.

The Bears have plenty of needs to address as NFL’s free agency officially kicks off, and wide receiver is near the top of the list.

When looking at the current free agent market, there aren’t a lot of big-name options left. Allen Robinson tops the list, but he’s not likely to return to Chicago, and JuJu Smith-Schuster is someone the Bears have shown interest in.

But Bears running back Darrynton Evans, who signed with the team on March 11, already has someone in mind: Former Titans teammate Julio Jones.

Jones was released by Tennessee at the start of the new league year, and he’s an intriguing option for receiver-needy teams like the Bears. But is he worth taking flier on?

Jones, 33, was one of the best wide receivers in the NFL dating back to his time with the Falcons. But since being traded to Tennessee, things haven’t exactly panned out. Last season, injuries limited Jones to just 10 games, and he was ineffective when he was on the field.

The Bears are looking for younger players to develop around quarterback Justin Fields, who’s in need of weapons. And Jones’ injury struggles, age and potential contract doesn’t make sense for Chicago.

When looking at how the free agent market is shaking out, the Bears will likely target an affordable option to work alongside Darnell Mooney. But the NFL draft will likely serve as their best option to find a young, inexpensive playmaker to pair with Fields.

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Bears claim RB Darrynton Evans off waivers

The Bears claimed former third-round RB Darrynton Evans off waivers, the team announced Friday.

The Chicago Bears have claimed former Tennessee Titans running back Darrynton Evans off waivers, the team announced Friday. Evans was released by the Titans on Thursday, and the Bears scooped him up.

Evans, a former third-round pick in 2020, only played six games in two seasons with the Titans after struggling with injuries. He had 16 carries for 61 yards and four receptions for 38 yards during those six contests. Evans also has experience in the return game, where he’s returned 10 kickoffs for an average of 22.3 yards.

Evans started the 2021 season on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury in the preseason before returning in Week 7, where he was unfortunately placed on IR the following week.

Evans joins a running backs room that consists of starter David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert, who was a sixth-round surprise for Chicago last season. Damien Williams is slated to hit free agency.

On Friday, it was reported the Bears are parting ways with running back Tarik Cohen, who couldn’t pass a physical since tearing his ACL back in Week 3 of the 2020 season. He will be released with an injury designation.

If Evans can stay healthy, there could be opportunities in the run game and perhaps as a kick returner.

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Bears claim ex-Titans RB Darrynton Evans off waivers

Former Titans RB Darrynton Evans has found a new home rather quickly.

After being released by the Tennessee Titans on Thursday, running back and former third-round pick, Darrynton Evans, has found a new home.

According to the league’s transactions wire, the Appalachian State product has been claimed off waivers by the Chicago Bears.

Evans, 23, was taken No. 93 overall by the Titans in 2020 with the hope he could fill the role of third-down back behind Derrick Henry, but his tenure was a major disappointment.

Evans struggled with injuries, leading to his playing just six games over two seasons, including just one in 2021. This past season, Evans began the year on injured reserve thanks to a knee injury in the preseason, came back in Week 7, and then was once again placed on IR the following week.

In six career games, Evans has 16 carries for 61 yards, and four receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown. He also has experience in the kick return game with 10 career returns at 22.3 yards per.

There’s no doubt that Evans has the tools to be an impact player in the NFL, he just has to stay healthy. So far, that has proven difficult for him.

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Tennessee Titans release running back Darrynton Evans

The Titans have decided to part ways with Darrynton Evans, one of three players released on Thursday.

In addition to releasing Rodger Saffold and Kendall Lamm, the Tennessee Titans also released running back/return specialist Darrynton Evans on Thursday. The move will save the Titans $785,584 in 2022.

Evans, 23, was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft out of Appalachian State and is the latest member of that class to flame out.

As a rookie, he accumulated 54 yards on 14 carries in five games, but was plagued by injury. The Oak Hill, Florida native could not stay healthy this past season, either.

He missed the team’s first six games with a knee injury that landed him on IR before being activated for the Titans’ game against the Chiefs. Evans had two carries for seven yards in that game while also hauling in two catches for 11 yards.

He showed up on the following week’s injury report and was placed on IR for a second time, ending his 2021 season.

Given the injury-plagued season, I thought that Evans might get another shot next season, but it’s now a wasted third-round pick as he’ll look to latch on with another team.

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