Eagles Sign Justin Evans To Replace CJ Gardner-Johnson
The Philadelphia Eagles worked quickly to fill one of their two open spots. With Marcus Epps leaving in free agency and signing with the Vikings, and CJ Gardner-Johnson leaving on Sunday and signing with the Lions, the Eagles were left with two HUGE holes in their secondary. Last years secondary was arguably the best in franchise history, but it was put together last minute. Epps was picked up off the waiver wire and developed into a steady starter. CJ Gardner-Johnson was acquired last minute in a deal with the New Orleans Saints. So its not insane to think that the Eagles could improve on last years group with some savvy moves.
One of those moves might just be the signing of Justin Evans. The Eagles are signing Evans to a 1 year contract according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The #Eagles are signing former #Bucs and #Saints free agent safety Justin Evans, per me and @MikeGarafolo. Evans helps fill a void at safety.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 20, 2023
Evans is a former 2nd round pick by the Tampa Bay Bucs. He spent last year with the New Orleans Saints, ironically replacing CJ Gardner-Johnson. Evans is just 27 years old and was very reliable until an achilles injury took him out in 2019. He will look for a fresh start in Philly.
Right now it appears like Evans is nothing more than some organizational depth. A tough player to count on when he played just 39% of snaps for the Saints last season. The Eagles will likely look to add more safety depth during the draft and also look to pounce on a team that did not pick up a players option, much like they did last season when the Saints made CJ Gardner-Johnson available.
Howie usually flourishes in the second wave of free agency. In the last few years Howie has been able to sign key contributors after the initial rush of free agency opening. We will keep you updated on all the Eagles moves as they happen.