Tag: Jordan Evans

Former All-Big 12 linebacker, Norman native announces his retirement

On Sunday, Jordan Evans announced his retirement from the game of football after a six year pro career.

After a six-year professional career, five of which were spent in the [autotag]NFL[/autotag] and one in the [autotag]XFL[/autotag], former All-Big 12 linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners, [autotag]Jordan Evans[/autotag] announced his retirement from the game of football.

Evans grew up in Norman, Oklahoma, and attended Norman North High School. He is the son of three-time All-Big 8 defensive tackle [autotag]Scott Evans[/autotag], who also played for the Sooners.

Evans had a standout career from 2013-2016 in Norman. He was second on the team in tackles in 2015 and led the Sooners in tackles in 2016. He was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2016 and earned All-Big 12 second-team honors in 2015. He also led the team with four interceptions in his senior season.

I reached out to Evans, and he said Oklahoma helped make him who he is today.

“Playing at OU was a time I’ll never forget,” Evans said. “Inquired some of my most fondest memories. Met some of my closest friends. Was coached by great coaches and an icon in all of college sports (Bob Stoops). Playing for your hometown is not common, and being able to do that was one of my biggest blessings, and as I look back on it, I’m grateful for that opportunity. I owe a lot of my success and who I am to OU.”

Evans was drafted in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL draft and spent five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. As for what’s next, Evans tells me he is getting his MBA but wants to start coaching.

Seeing that he developed from a three-star recruit to an all-conference performer to an NFL draft pick, I’m sure whatever he decides to do, he’ll be successful at it.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on X @JaronSpor.

Former Bengals LB Jordan Evans excelling in XFL

Another former Bengals player finding big success in the XFL.

Former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Jordan Evans has found a home with the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons, playing his first pro ball since 2021 with the Bengals.

Now a captain and the player with the most NFL experience on his new team, Evans says he’s just thankful to be back out on the field.

“It was a blessing,” Evans said, according to Scott Hanson of the Seattle Times. “I had a lot of gratitude playing and I just loved being out there, flying around and tackling … and doing all those things that I missed out on for 16 months.”

Evans, a sixth-round pick by the Bengals in 2017, spent his NFL career so far in Cincinnati and suffered a torn ACL in October of 2021. The returning league’s re-launch marks his first football since that injury.

This journey for Evans is both amazing and not uncommon for former NFL players finding success elsewhere. The former Oklahoma Sooners player is one of several former Bengals making headway in the XFL, topped off by AJ McCarron’s stunning fourth-quarter comeback win.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Jaguars add veteran long snapper Garrison Sanborn to practice squad

The Jaguars brought in two long snappers and two linebackers for tryouts Tuesday and signed one to the practice squad.

The Jacksonville Jaguars brought four players in for a tryout Tuesday and signed one: veteran long snapper Garrison Sanborn.

Sanborn, 37, went undrafted after playing collegiately at Florida State, but stuck with the Buffalo Bills where he was the team’s long snapper for eight seasons. He spent four of the last five years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and one season with the San Francisco 49ers.

He was released by the Buccaneers near the end of the 2021 season and hasn’t been a roster since. Sanborn was one of two long snappers who tried out for the Jaguars on Tuesday, along with Steven Wirtel, a former Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, and Green Bay Packers player.

Jacksonville also brought in former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Jordan Evans and former Rams and Denver Broncos linebacker Kenny Young for tryouts.

The Jaguars’ long snapping duties have been handled by Ross Matiscik since the beginning of the 2020 season. Matiscik is under contract through the 2026 season.

Titans worked out pair of linebackers on Friday

The Titans reportedly worked out a pair of linebackers on Friday.

The Tennessee Titans reportedly took a look at a pair of inside linebackers on Friday.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the Titans brought in linebackers Jordan Evans and Andre Smith for a workout on Friday.

A former sixth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017, Evans appeared in 65 games over five seasons with Cincy, starting nine of them. He has totaled 127 tackles (six for loss), 3.5 sacks and seven passes defensed.

Smith was a seventh-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2018 and has played in 46 games (no starts) over four seasons, two with the Panthers and two with the Buffalo Bills. The North Carolina product has recorded 27 tackles and forced and recovered one fumble.

Neither Evans nor Smith have suited up in a game this season.

Hopefully this isn’t a sign that linebacker Zach Cunningham will miss more time. Cunningham has been plagued by an elbow injury that forced him to miss three games earlier in the season.

The veteran returned to action in Week 8 against the Houston Texans and suited up in Week 9 versus the Kansas City Chiefs but is back on the injury report this week and hasn’t practiced yet.

You can check out Tennessee’s latest injury report right here.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[lawrence-related id=101900,101903,101778]

[listicle id=101911]

Browns tryout 3 defenders including former Bearcat Cortez Broughton

The Browns brought in three defenders for a tryout today, including former Cincinnati Bearcat Cortez Broughton

The Cleveland Browns have brought in three more players for tryouts this week. A week ago, the Browns brought in three safeties for tryouts, and then turned around and signed one to the practice squad as Mike Brown must have impressed them. Today, two linebackers and former Cincinnati Bearcats defensive tackle Cortez Broughton were in Berea trying to earn a spot within the organization.

We take a deeper look here at the three players the Browns have brought in for tryouts today. Who knows? One of them could land on the practice squad shortly just as Brown did.

[listicle id=80813]

Joe Mixon named a ‘stud’ performer despite Bengals Super Bowl LVI loss

Despite the Bengals’ close loss in Super Bowl LVI, former Sooner Joe Mixon was named a stud for his performance by Bengals Wire.

The Cincinnati Bengals fell just short in Super Bowl LVI against the Los Angeles Rams. Multiple Sooners were playing in the game, and either way, a former Sooner would become a Super Bowl Champion. The game came down to the last two minutes, and for casual fans, that’s all you could ask for.

On the Bengals side, Joe Mixon, Jordan Evans, and Samaje Perine all donned the orange and black of the Bengals. Our friends at BengalsWire took the liberty of highlighting the stars, studs, and duds of their team’s performance, and one of the two former Sooners running backs on the Bengals roster landed was named a “stud.”

How good was Mixon running into the teeth of an elite defensive line? He gained 72 yards on 15 carries, averaging 4.8 per chance. If there was a negative, it was the five catches for one yard, but there’s more that goes into that than simple numbers. Mixon was running hard and decisively all night. – Chris Rolling, Bengals Wire

Mixon has always been an excellent running back, but primarily due to Cincinnati’s team success has hardly been given the spotlight he deserves.

He played his heart out running against a defensive line that features two sure-fire Hall of Famers in Von Miller and Aaron Donald on top of having to run against an elite run-stopping defensive lineman like A’Shawn Robinson. The Bengals offensive line held up on the ground and gave Mixon just enough space to get active.

While Mixon didn’t have much of an impact catching the ball, he impacted in other ways. His only touchdown was a passing TD deep in the red zone to wide receiver Tee Higgins set up in part to how well the Bengals were running the ball.

For Mixon, he finished his regular season with 292 carries for 1,205 yards for 13 touchdowns while also hauling in three receiving touchdowns. For Mixon, Perine, and the rest of the Bengals, it’ll be back to the drawing board as they try to figure out what they can do to get back to the Super Bowl next year.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Remembering a pair of father-son duos to play for the Oklahoma Sooners

Remembering a pair of father-son duos to play football for the Oklahoma Sooners.

On Father’s Day Sooners Wire takes a look back at a pair of father-son duos to play football for the Crimson and Cream. There is one duo that immediately comes to mind but they didn’t each play for Oklahoma. The former head coach that brought the last national championship to Norman is one-half of this duo. Bob Stoops grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and would play his college ball for the Iowa Hawkeyes before heading into the coaching ranks. His son, Drake, now plays wide receiver for the Sooners. He caught the game-winning touchdown against the Texas Longhorns in the 2020 Red River Rivalry game.

There are two other duos coming to mind on this Father’s Day, so we start with the Evans.

Scott and Jordan Evans

Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman

Scott Evans, the father of Jordan, played for the Oklahoma Sooners from 1986-1990. He was also on the defensive side of the ball as a defensive tackle for Barry Switzer until 1988. Scott would be named team captain in his final two seasons.

Jordan joined the Oklahoma Sooners defense in 2013 through the 2016 season. Over his career, Jordan secured 164 solo tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, five interceptions, and forced four fumbles. He ended up scoring three defensive touchdowns in his Oklahoma career.

Derrick and Sterling Shepard

(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Derrick Shepard, the father of Sterling, played for the Sooners from 1983-1986 before playing for three teams in the NFL. The Sooners named their walk-on award after Derrick, who passed away in 1999 at the age of 35. He would never see his son put on the Crimson and Cream.

Sterling wore the No. 3 just like his father when playing for Oklahoma. In the NFL, he switched his jersey to No. 3 with their new uniform rules. While a member of the Sooners, Sterling hauled in 233 passes for 3,482 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 14.4 yards per touch. Much like dad, Sterling went on to the NFL to play wide receiver.

Bengals re-sign LB Jordan Evans to one-year deal

The Bengals re-sign linebacker Jordan Evans as he returns for a fifth season

Linebacker Jordan Evans will stay with the Cincinnati Bengals. Evans signed a one-year deal contract with the Bengals, the team announced on Sunday. Continue reading “Bengals re-sign LB Jordan Evans to one-year deal”

Bengals bring back LB Jordan Evans

The Cincinnati Bengals made another move in free agency.

[mm-video type=video id=01f1jh5wgcnqgaxnpk playlist_id=01eqbw0bft20de1r4d player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f1jh5wgcnqgaxnpk/01f1jh5wgcnqgaxnpk-04f4d3cf7f0a4168b43ea421b7b766c8.jpg]

The Cincinnati Bengals announced the return of linebacker Jordan Evans on a one-year deal Sunday.

Evans, a 2017 sixth-round pick, emerged as a core special-teams piece for Darrin Simmons last year as the roster turnover continues and gets back with the team for another season on that basis.

While he never really broke through in the base defense and the team has since gone other directions there, Evans has a key role on a unit that continues to lose some continuity.

With rumors about a Giovani Bernard trade making the rounds and Randy Bullock signing elsewhere, the turnover for Simmons’ unit will continue this offseason.

Locking down Evans now is a good way to lessen some of the impact there before onboarding another rookie class.

[listicle id=41673]

Former Oklahoma DE Amani Bledsoe signs with Cincinnati Bengals

Former Oklahoma DE Amani Bledsoe is back on an NFL roster after signing with the Cincinnati Bengals, the team announced on Monday. 

Former Oklahoma DE Amani Bledsoe is back on an NFL roster after signing with the Cincinnati Bengals, the team announced on Monday.

Bledsoe signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent out of college. He spent one full season on their practice squad before being waived on July 26.

Less than a month later, he’s back on an NFL roster, joining former Sooners Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine, Jermaine Gresham, Jordan Evans and Rodney Anderson in Cincinnati.

Bledsoe tallied 58 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 8 deflections and 4 sacks while at OU from 2016-18.

247Sports rated him as a four-star prospect out of high school. He was also the No. 8 strong-side defensive end in his class, and the No. 2 player out of Kansas.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1370]