Chris

Evans

It’s a career-threatening injury for the career backup in Cincinnati. Evans was not in the mix for regular touches, but his loss thins the depth in an already shaky backfield.

The injury occurred during a kickoff coverage drill in a joint practice with the Bears. The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. reports moments later, that Bengals backup T D’Ante Smith “went to the ground screaming in pain.” An air cast was applied to his left leg before the cart took him away. Both players were reportedly on the roster bubble and their seasons are now in jeopardy. Evans’ 90 rushing yards and 154 receiving yards from his 2021 rookie season remain his career-best single-season totals.

It’s been a rough year for reserve Evans. He has been active only eight times, garnering three touches. This is probably his final season as one of the Bengals’ running back reserves.

Evans headed into the weekend with a questionable tag due to his hamstring injury, but was officially ruled out when the team announced it’s Week 2 inactives. Backup running back Trayveon Williams will have a chance to serve in his place, but can be left off the fantasy radar with Joe Mixon expected to handle most of the workload. In addition to Evans the Bengals also declared CB DJ Ivey, DE Joseph Ossai, C Trey Hill, and OT Jackson Carman inactive.

Evans seemingly entered the season as Cincinnati’s RB2, but he and Trayveon Williams both saw work behind Joe Mixon in Week 1. This hamstring issue all but ensures that Evans won’t be the only backup to see work in Week 2, and that’s if he can play through the questionable tag.

Evans was limited on Wednesday, so his absence on Thursday is a downgrade with just one practice to go. A limited session on Friday could hint at him playing in Week 2 against the Ravens, but if he’s unable to go, it will likely be Trayveon Williams mixing in behind Joe Mixon. Williams played on just 16 snaps in the Bengals Week 1 loss to the Browns, and can be left off the fantasy radar even if Evans sits.

This comes from Dehner’s article over at The Athletic, where he projects Evans as the Bengals’ “passing-down starter” while Trayveon Williams and Chase Brown will serve as backups. Dehner says Evans is on the rise after a camp where he excelled in pass protection and improved as a runner. Evans serving in this role could make him the replacement for Samaje Perine, who appeared on 149 third-down snaps last season to Mixon’s 50 per PFF. Evans is an interesting late-round flyer in deep PPR leagues.

According to Rapoport, Williams is expected to miss a few weeks, assuming the initial diagnosis is confirmed with an MRI. It’s good news for Williams, who was assisted to a cart before leaving the field, but the injury will set him back in the battle for the Bengals’ backup job. There’s a chance Williams will return ahead of Week 1, but it’s likely down to Chase Brown and Chris Evans for the Bengals’ RB2 role.

Williams reportedly suffered a right leg injury in camp and was helped to the cart with assistance from trainers. The fifth-year back is competing for a shot as the Bengals’ third-down option behind Joe Mixon and can ill-afford time away from camp. We’ll likely know more on his injury soon, but his absence could open the door for rookie Chase Brown and veteran Chris Evans to see more snaps.

The Bengals bringing back Williams on a one-year deal makes sense after they recently lost Samaje Perine to the Broncos. Through four seasons with the team, Williams has been nothing more than a lightly-used backup, rushing 47 times for 238 yards and no touchdowns. He’ll likely compete for Cincinnati’s RB2 role with Chris Evans and another player not yet on the roster.