Report: Broncos Bringing In Former Bengals RB for Tryout

The ex-Bengals back will compete for a deal with Denver.

Aug 10, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals running back Chris Evans (25) runs with the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Former Cincinnati Bengals running back Chris Evans will participate in the Denver Broncos' upcoming rookie minicamp "on a tryout basis," NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Monday.

A 2021 sixth-round pick, Evans appeared in 34 career games for the Bengals, tallying 277 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns across 38 touches. He also contributed 14 kick returns for 314 yards.

Evans, who missed the entire 2024 campaign with a ruptured patellar tendon, was a four-year contributor at Michigan where he averaged 5.6 yards per carry and found paydirt 17 times. The 5-foot-11, 211-pound back recorded a 4.51-second forty and 40.5-inch vertical jump at his Pro Day.

"Running back with good size and adequate athletic traits but lacking dynamic or explosive qualities to help him stand out," NFL.com draft guru Lance Zierlein noted in his scouting profile. "Evans served a suspension in 2019 and had very few totes in 2020. From 2016 to 2018, he ran to his size and was productive relative to what was asked of him. His pad level and contact balance will create yards after contact and he'll get what is blocked. However, his greatest selling point will be his size and ability to play on third down. Those two things could help rehabilitate his draft stock, but there will be an abundance of competition for the job he will be looking for. It could just be a matter of finding the right place at the right time."

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If signed, Evans would compete for a spot in a Broncos running back room that now features second-round rookie and potential starter RJ Harvey in addition to incumbents Audric Estime, Jaleel McLaughlin, Blake Watson, and Tyler Badie.

"We’ll see growth in Year 2," head coach Sean Payton said in his post-draft press conference on Saturday. "We’re excited to see that with these guys, and that’s whether it’s Blake, Audric, Tyler Badie… Meaning I think a lot of times there’s this perception, ‘Oh a player was drafted.’ This list can vary. Now we understand there’s a need element, and we always pay attention to that, but we look forward to seeing their development just like we look forward to seeing the young receivers develop, and the same way in the secondary if we’re looking at [CB Kris] Abrams-Draine, I could go on and on. So this is one part of making your team better. Then you create that high-level competition. Ultimately—and these guys will hear this from me in two weeks in the team meeting along with the rest of the rookie class—we’re going to go by what we see. How you arrived here—this is a process. We’re trying to secure in order the best way to get the most for our draft. But once they’re here, it’s up to them to earn their stripes.”

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