Eagles safety Justin Evans appreciates this chapter of his career after years of being sidelined

The Eagles practiced three days this week leading up to their season opener against the New England Patriots on Sunday. They’ll return to practice for two days next week before taking on the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night. The process will repeat the following week. And the one after that.

The sheer frequency of practice, from the outside looking in, makes it seem mundane. But safety Justin Evans doesn’t take a single session for granted.

“Once you get it taken away ...” Evans trailed off while speaking at his stall after practice on Friday.

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He paused, then continued: “Football ain’t my whole life. I’m not just an NFL player. But at the same time, once it got took, it was just like, ‘Well, I don’t know what I’m gonna do now,’ for real. So [I’m] just super grateful, even just going to practice or something.”

Long before the 28-year-old Evans emerged as an option to start at safety for the Eagles in training camp, injury robbed him of the ability to play football for more than three NFL seasons, spanning from Week 14 in 2018 through 2021.

Selected in the second round, No. 50 overall out of Texas A&M in the 2017 draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Evans played two seasons (24 games, 21 starts, 125 tackles, four interceptions, and eight pass breakups) until he saw 2018 cut short due to a toe injury. He was placed on injured reserve with an Achilles injury at the beginning of the 2019 season and underwent surgery to address the issue.

After he fluctuated among various reserve lists for almost two seasons, the Bucs eventually waived Evans on Dec. 22, 2020. He had an additional surgery after he was cut and sat out the entire 2021 season.

“I got discouraged,” Evans said. “I got depressed. I got whatever you want to call it. I got all those things, but it’s life, for real. So you just find ways to either sit in that or get out of that.”

Evans leaned on his faith to get him through the uncertainty of his NFL future. In early 2022, he recovered from his surgery and started working out again, as he focused on getting his body conditioned for a potential return to football. He began practicing yoga not only to improve his flexibility and mobility, but also for the therapeutic effect it had on his mind.

After more than three arduous years, opportunity arose for Evans when he signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints on April 5, 2022. Evans secured a spot on the team out of training camp and made an impact on the defense, playing 15 games and starting four while collecting 29 tackles, a forced fumble, and two pass breakups.

According to Pro Football Focus, he took most of his defensive snaps at free safety (176). Evans also took 135 snaps lining up in the slot and 59 in the box. Overall, 257 of his snaps came in coverage and 128 came against the run.

“Once I got to do that again, I’m just like, ‘OK, I’m back,’” Evans said. “I’m grateful for it more because [stuff] got taken away, for real. So when something gets taken away, then you see what you have.”

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Meanwhile, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and his pro scouting staff had their eyes on Evans throughout his preseason showing with the Saints. They knew of his pedigree coming out of Texas A&M and they maintained their interest in Evans during his first season back after the layoff.

The Eagles signed Evans to a one-year deal on March 21. He worked his way up the depth chart during camp and spent time taking starting reps alongside second-year safety Reed Blankenship. Evans was one of four safeties to make the initial 53-man roster in addition to Blankenship, six-year veteran Terrell Edmunds, and rookie Sydney Brown.

“We know that this is a guy who’s got really good physical tools,” Roseman said of Evans on the Aug. 29 cut-down day. “We like having him on the team. He loves football. He has great energy about him. We’re excited to see what he is going to do in an Eagles uniform.”

Slowly but surely, the self-described “quiet” Evans has warmed up to the Eagles defensive backs room, which is helping him feel comfortable on the field in defensive coordinator Sean Desai’s scheme. He’s starting to open up more to his teammates, who admire his resilience and appreciate his journey.

“He’s come back from injuries and it shows how much he loves the game,” Blankenship said. “Just for him, able to be here, it means a lot. I’m learning new stuff about him every day. He’s got a great personality. That’s what we like.”

Coach Nick Sirianni has remained mum on the topic of who will start at safety alongside Blankenship come Sunday. The Eagles’ unofficial depth chart lists both Evans and Edmunds at the second starting spot. Sirianni mentioned a special teams role for Edmunds going into this season on Friday, but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee Evans the starting job.

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Regardless of who starts on Sunday, or even if he’s used in rotation, Evans said he’s focused on preparing himself mentally and physically for anything that’s thrown his way. He isn’t taking this moment for granted.

“Anything you go through in life, for real, it’s just gonna prepare you for that next step,” Evans said.

The Eagles have a clean bill of health going into their season opener. Cornerbacks Josh Jobe and Mario Goodrich, who were listed on the injury report earlier this week with illnesses, were full participants in practice on Friday and were removed from the list. Every player on the Eagles’ active roster is available to play on Sunday.