Zach Evans set to retire: Former blue-chip RB abruptly ends NFL career after brief stints with Jets, Rams
The New York Jets placed running back Zach Evans on the reserve/retired list Monday, according to the team's official site, signaling an abrupt end to a once-promising career. Evans remained unsigned for much of 2024 after being released by the Rams in August. He signed to the Jets practice squad in December 2024 before agreeing to a reserve/futures contract with the franchise in January.
A sixth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2023 NFL Draft, Evans appeared in 10 games as a rookie that season, contributing on both offense and special teams. He carried the ball nine times for 19 yards. Evans was inactive for the Rams' wild card loss to the Detroit Lions.
The Jets recently opened training camp last Friday with their first preseason game set for Aug. 9 at the Green Bay Packers.
From blue-chip recruit to early NFL exitOnce a blue-chip prospect, Evans ranked as the No. 3 running back nationally and No. 33 overall recruit in the 2020 recruiting class by 247Sports coming out of Houston (Texas) North Shore. He began his college career at TCU, where he immediately flashed elite upside. As a true freshman in 2020, Evans rushed for 415 yards and four touchdowns on just 54 carries, averaging a staggering 7.7 yards per attempt -- fifth-best among FBS backs with 50+ carries that season.
He was on track for a breakout sophomore season in 2021 before a turf toe injury ended his campaign after just six games. Still, Evans rushed for 648 yards and five touchdowns on 92 carries, topping 100 yards in four games. He added another 130 yards and a touchdown as a receiver.
Following longtime coach Gary Patterson's departure from TCU, Evans transferred to Ole Miss in 2022.
Under Lane Kiffin, he posted a career-high 936 rushing yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per carry. Despite splitting time with breakout freshman Quinshon Judkins, Evans finished sixth in the SEC in rushing and added 119 receiving yards with another score.
He declared early for the 2023 NFL Draft and was projected by some as a mid-round talent, but slid to the sixth round, where the Rams took a late-round chance on him. Limited opportunities and a crowded depth chart kept Evans from carving out a significant role, and his NFL career ultimately ends with just 19 rushing yards and no regular-season starts.
Once viewed as one of the most electric backs in his class, Evans steps away from football just weeks before what would have been his third NFL season -- a quiet end to a career once bursting with promise.
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