Tag: ethan evans

Rams pick their new punter for Sunday with Ethan Evans out

The Rams signed two punters to the practice squad with Ethan Evans sick, but only Ty Zentner was elevated for Sunday’s game

Rams punter Ethan Evans came down with an illness this week and was unable to practice on Thursday or Friday. The Rams have already ruled him out for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks, so they’ll have a new punter and holder for this week.

They signed Ryan Sanborn to the practice squad on Thursday and then added Ty Zentner on Friday, but only one of them was elevated for Week 9. The Rams are going with Zentner, who’s played nine games in his career (all in 2023) and averaged 44.9 yards per punt.

In addition to Zentner, the Rams also promoted linebacker Elias Neal from the practice squad for this weekend, so he’ll provide depth behind Christian Rozeboom, Omar Speights and Jake Hummel.

Rams sign punter to practice squad for 2nd straight day

Ethan Evans must really be sick because the Rams have signed a punter to the practice squad in each of the last two days.

(This post has been updated to provide new information)

The Los Angeles Rams set off some (mildly quiet) alarms on Thursday when they signed a punter to the practice squad. We then learned that Ethan Evans missed practice with an illness, which explains why the Rams brought in rookie punter Ryan Sanborn.

Evans must really be sick because for the second straight day, the Rams signed a punter to the practice squad. They added Ty Zentner on Friday, raising questions about whether Evans will be able to play on Sunday against the Seahawks.

To make room for Zentner on the practice squad, the Rams waived center Mike McAllister, so they now have three punters in the building right now. That’s atypical for a team, to say the least.

Special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn said Thursday that he hopes Evans will be able to play, but we’ll get more clarity on Friday when the final injury report is released.

Update: Sean McVay said Friday that Evans has been ruled out for Sunday’s game with an illness and the Rams will decide whether to elevate Sanborn or Zentner from the practice squad.

Rams sign rookie punter to practice squad, raising questions about Ethan Evans’ status

The Rams signed punter Ryan Sanborn to the practice squad, which raises some questions about the status of Ethan Evans

There have been no reports about Ethan Evans being injured and he’s coming off a stellar performance against the Vikings in Week 8, which is why Thursday’s roster move made by the Rams is so interesting.

The team announced it has signed punter Ryan Sanborn to the practice squad, releasing wide receiver Sam Wiglusz to make room for him. Sanborn is a rookie punter out of Texas, spending time with the Falcons this offseason after going undrafted in April.

He was released by Atlanta in August so he’s been available for a little while; he hasn’t appeared in a game yet this season.

It’s unclear exactly why the Rams feel they need a backup punter right now, especially considering they had to release a wide receiver in order to bring Sanborn in. Maybe Evans woke up sick or injured, and the Rams are just making sure they have someone healthy for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks.

Sean McVay is scheduled to talk to the media on Friday so we might not get answers until then.

Ethan Evans has quietly been one of the Rams’ most improved players

After a rough rookie year, Ethan Evans has made big improvements for the Rams this season

Needing a new punter last year, the Rams used a seventh-round pick on Ethan Evans out of Wingate, a small Division II school in North Carolina. There wasn’t much known about Evans when he was drafted, other than the fact that he had a huge leg and he could deadlift 770 pounds.

That powerful leg didn’t translate to much success when he was a rookie in 2023, struggling to pin opponents deep and keep the ball out of the end zone. He had the eighth-most touchbacks (7) last season and only downed 20 of his 64 punts inside the 20. The Rams allowed 495 return yards on Evans’ punts, which was the second-most of any punter.

It was a combination of bad coverage and Evans out-kicking his guys without much hangtime, giving returners far too much room to run.

Fortunately, things have been different this year. Much different, in fact.

Evans only has one touchback all year, tied for the third-fewest of any full-time punter. Of his 23 punts, 12 of them have been downed inside the 20, an impressive rate of more than 50%. And when it comes to returns, only nine of his kicks have been returned for a total of 86 yards – a testament to the hangtime he’s generating and the coverage of his gunners.

Quietly, Evans has been one of the Rams’ most improved players of 2024. His PFF grade of 74.7 ranks 13th in the NFL and though his net average of 41.8 yards per punt isn’t among the league leaders, it’s partly because he hasn’t had the room to boom longer punts.

Evans was especially good against the Vikings last week, pinning two punts inside the 10-yard line at the end of the first half and late in the fourth quarter. The Vikings didn’t move the ball at all on either drive, in part because of how well Evans did to put them in a tough spot in the shadow of their own goal line.

Sean McVay has loved what he’s seen from his second-year punter, giving him a game ball for his performance against Minnesota.

“I think Ethan Evans has been a real bright spot,” McVay said. “We don’t like to punt. We like the punt as little as possible but when we’ve had to, especially in some of those short fields, he’s done an outstanding job of pinning opponents deep.”

Punters don’t get a lot of credit for the work they do, but Evans has played a part in the Rams ranking 12th in the NFL in opponent starting field position (own 29.1-yard line).

Watch: Rams P Ethan Evans hits 7 booming punts with ridiculous hang time

This video of 7 straight booming punts by Ethan Evans shows he’s on track to be much better in 2024.

Ethan Evans had what most would describe as a subpar rookie season in 2023. While he has a powerful leg, he only downed 20 of his 64 punts inside the 20 and had a net average of just 39.1 yards per punt – the second-worst mark among all qualified punters.

Some of that was out of his control, in part because of the Rams’ awful coverage unit on punts, but he also outkicked his coverage too often with long punts that lacked hang time. He’s looking to improve in Year 2 and based on this recent workout video, he seems to be getting more air under those booming kicks.

The video below shows seven straight punts by Evans, which all had a hang time of at least 5 seconds. For reference, JK Scott led the NFL in average hang time last year at 4.72 seconds, according to PFF, so anything over 5 seconds is outstanding.

Evans’ best hang time in the video is 5.56 seconds but he was consistently going over 5.3 seconds.

The Rams hope Evans rarely has to go on the field to punt the ball away but when he is called upon, it seems he could be much improved in his second NFL season.

Duke men’s golf finishes tied for fifth at The Prestige

After a lengthy winter break, the Blue Devils men’s golf team got back on the course and produced two top-12 individuals out in California.

The Duke men’s golf team got its spring schedule underway at The Prestige from Monday to Wednesday, a three-day tournament held out in La Quinta, California at PGA West.

The Blue Devils performed admirably in their return to action, finishing in a tie for fifth behind two standout performances and a stellar second round.

Ethan Evans and Bryan Kim both went low from the opening day at the Greg Norman Course, firing matching 5-under 66s in round one. Evans balanced a double-bogey 6 at the 18th hole with seven birdies.

Kim poured in six birdies of his own, all within a nine-hole stretch. He circled 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, and 14 to wash away a bogey at the third hole.

None of the other three Duke golfers recorded a round lower than 74 in the first go-round, but the Blue Devils did most of their damage in round two. All five players shot a 72 or better during their second trip around the course.

Kim couldn’t vault himself farther up the leaderboard, making two birdies and two bogeys for an even-par 71, but Evans could. The sophomore fired a 3-under 68 despite yet another double-bogey, this time on the third hole. He also bogeyed 6 and 9 but birdied the first, the fourth, and the fifth before rattling off four in a row from 14-17.

Luke Sample and Kelly Chinn matched their teammates’ energy with a 4-under 67 and a 3-under 68, respectively.

Sample could have put together something scary good, with four birdies in his first 10 holes before an eagle on the 12th got him to 6-under for the day, but three bogeys over his last six prevented him from something eye-popping. Chinn, on the other hand, balanced five birdies with two bogeys in his round.

Overall, the five Blue Devils combined for 23 birdies during the second round, and the team total of 10-under 274 was second only to eventual champion Texas Tech.

Unfortunately, Duke’s third round resembled the first more than the second. Evans, who began the tie in a tie for second on the individual leaderboard, signed for a 1-over 72 after his three birdies were overruled by two bogeys and his third double of the week. He finished the tournament in a tie for seventh, six strokes behind Kansas’ Cecil Belisle.

Kim put together a 1-under 70 to finish in a tie for 11th on the week, including three birdies in four holes around the turn. Daniel Choi, the Blue Devils’ fifth golfer, also managed a 1-under 70, and Chinn mustered an even-par 71. Sample fell back two strokes with a 73 to finish in a tie for 45th on the individual leaderboard.

The Blue Devils finished first among the two ACC teams in attendance, with Louisville coming in solo 13th, but future conference foe Stanford finished in third.

Duke gets back in action at the Wake Forest Invitational on March 4-5.

Rams P Ethan Evans wins NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Rams rookie punter Ethan Evans has won his first award, being crowned the NFC’s Special Teams Player of the Week

Even amid an up-and-down 2023 season, the Rams have managed to win several weekly awards this year – largely thanks to Puka Nacua and Byron Young taking home Rookie of the Week honors four times combined in the first seven weeks.

Ethan Evans joined the fun this week by being named the NFC’s Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against the Seahawks on Sunday. Evans punted five times for a total of 263 yards, averaging 52.6 yards per kick. His long was 65 yards and he didn’t have a single touchback, pinning the Seahawks inside the 20-yard line once.

This is Evans’ first weekly award in the NFL, but it probably won’t be his last. He’s been one of the lone bright spots on special teams, doing a nice job holding kicks for the first time in his career, as well.

Rams rookie Ethan Evans has been one of the best punters this preseason

Only one punter in the NFL has graded out higher than Ethan Evans this preseason, but there is an area where he can improve

The Los Angeles Rams went into the draft this year with no specialists on the roster. No punter, no kicker and no long snapper. With one of their 14 picks, they addressed the punter spot by selecting Ethan Evans, a lesser-known player out of Wingate University.

Evans was known for his powerful leg and through two preseason games, he hasn’t disappointed. Those 770-pound deadlifts are paying off because he’s hit some booming punts this summer.

While it hasn’t been a perfect preseason performance from the rookie, he has been one of the best punters in the league so far – at least according to Pro Football Focus.

PFF has given Evans a 79.6 punting grade this preseason, which is second-best at his position. The only punter with a better punting grade is former Ram, Corey Bojorquez, who’s at 89.3.

Evans ranks first in total punt yards (696), second in yards per punt (53.5), fourth with a long of 65 yards and second with five punts downed inside the 20. Those numbers are impressive and show just how much potential he has.

However, there is one area where Evans can improve, and it’s an important one: hangtime. According to PFF, Evans ranks 19th in average hangtime (4.43 seconds). For comparison, JK Scott leads the league this preseason with an average hangtime of 4.85 seconds.

At times, Evans appears to outkick his coverage, in part because he’s kicked some low line drives rather than high, hanging punts that allow his coverage unit to get down the field. He’s obviously getting more distance by botting those driving punts, but the returners often have a lot of space around them to return it.

It’s a big reason Evans and the Rams have allowed a league-high 181 return yards, an average of 22.6. Derius Davis returning a punt 81 yards for a touchdown in the preseason opener inflates that average, but even without that return, the Rams have allowed 100 yards return yards. That would still be the most of any punter, with Jamie Gillan of the Giants ranking second with 97 return yards allowed.

As such, Evans’ net average is 36.5 yards per punt, which is seventh-worst among all punters this preseason. That’s not entirely his fault, but the consistent returns against the Rams, along with his two touchbacks, haven’t helped the cause. The coverage as a whole could be a lot better, and should be once the regular season begins and the Rams have a consistent unit out there on the field.

Evans has a ton of upside in the NFL and the Rams should be excited by what they’ve seen. He’s only a rookie who’s played two preseason games, so there’s plenty of time for him to improve his hangtime. His directional kicking has been very good, too, angling several of his punts toward the sideline to limit the space a returner has – or preventing a return altogether.

The Rams’ seventh-round rookie has gotten off to a good start this summer and should only continue to get better.

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Rookie punter Ethan Evans never held in college, so the Rams had to teach him

Ethan Evans doubled as Wingate’s kicker and punter, so he never had experience as a holder. That will change with the Rams.

Keeping with the theme of having a young and inexperienced roster, the Los Angeles Rams are going with a unique approach on special teams. Their three specialists are all rookies, two of them being undrafted players.

Punter Ethan Evans was drafted in the seventh round out of Wingate, while long snapper Alex Ward and kicker Tanner Brown were both signed following the draft. General manager Les Snead has been impressed with the all-rookie operation on special teams but they haven’t exactly been tested in a real game setting.

For Evans, he’ll be in uncharted waters when the Rams attempt their first field goal or extra point. He’s never been a holder, which is something coaches had to teach the rookie this offseason.

Though many punters work as the holder, Evans never did because he doubled as Wingate’s kicker.

“We only have those three on the roster and they’ve got a lot of responsibility,” Snead said on the Doug Gottlieb Show. “Are they gonna win the job? Are they gonna actually be useful to us? The punter is about 6-foot-5. If you YouTube him, he’s deadlifting and cleaning and he’s never held before because he was punter and kicker at Wingate College. Point being, we had to teach him to hold. And now you’ve got a whole rookie operation. And they’re actually doing a really, really, really nice job.”

In the past, the Rams had Johnny Hekker holding for their kickers. Then, Riley Dixon assumed the role last season when he was with Los Angeles. Now it’s Evans’ turn.

Some teams opt to have a backup quarterback hold kicks but it doesn’t seem the Rams are going down that path with Stetson Bennett or Brett Rypien. It’ll be on Evans to get the ball down quickly and smoothly this season, assuming the Rams don’t bring in another punter to replace him before Week 1.

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Watch Rams P Ethan Evans’ booming punts from senior season at Wingate

The Rams got a punter with a powerful leg when they selected Ethan Evans out of Division II Wingate this year

At No. 223 overall, the Los Angeles Rams selected Wingate punter Ethan Evans – a name unfamiliar to fans. He was the first Division II player drafted this year, but the Rams feel they’ve uncovered a diamond in the rough with the powerful punter.

During his senior season in 2022, he punted 77 times for a total of 3,518 yards, an average of 45.7 yards per punt with more than half of those punts (39) being downed inside the 20-yard line.

Evans is the Rams’ only punter on the roster right now so all indications are that he will be their guy in 2023. It’s easy to see why when watching the way he kicked last season at Wingate.

Check out highlights from 2022, which include booming punts, field goal attempts (he went 10 for 18 as a senior) and kickoffs.