Darrynton Evans would be worthy waiver grab for KC Chiefs

On Thursday, the Tennessee Titans did what so many other NFL franchises are doing these days: clearing the roster of players they no longer want to employ (pay) in order to free up roster space and cap room to be able to go shopping with a bit more resources once free agency begins next week. In the process, they released three players and none of them really made many waves, but one, in particular, should be of interest to the Kansas City Chiefs.

In the midst of the latest transaction wire is an intriguing name in running back Darrynton Evans, a former third-round pick out of Appalachia State set free by the Titans while still being only two years into his rookie deal.

For any team who wants to claim Evans, he will be subject to the waiver process given his lack of accrued seasons in the National Football League. Because of that, the Chiefs might not even have a chance at Evans. However, it’s also possible that Evans slips through this time of year, and if so, the Chiefs should at least extend a hand to watch his talents up close for at least the offseason.

The Kansas City Chiefs would do well to grab running back Darrynton Evans off of waivers from the Tennessee Titans.

It’s weird to see the Titans give up so easily on Evans, although from the inside, it has to seem like the team can finally stop worrying about when he will ever be healthy. It’s true that Evans’ first two seasons at the pro level have been riddled with injuries, and the Titans have some talent waiting in the wings so the move isn’t likely a big shock to anyone in Nashville.

Evans, however, was selected in the third round for a good reason, and even that was within a deep draft at running back. With a background in basketball, baseball, and track, Evans is an electric weapon with the ball in his hand with breakaway speed and skillset ideally suited to the outside zone. He’s one of three college players since 2000 who has rushed for 1,400 yards, caught 5 touchdowns, and returned a touchdown in a season—the others being Chris Johnson and Christian McCaffrey. Speaking of return touchdowns, Evans brings real return ability with him giving him added utility for any team that has him.

Evans is not tough inside and could not handle any sort of major workload out of the backfield, but the Chiefs have other horses for that. A complementary back like Evans, however, would give the team another young weapon dangerous in space and he’s cost-controlled for two more years. If Veach liked him on his draft board in 2020, it makes sense for K.C. to extend a waiver claim to help Clyde Edwards-Helaire fill out the backfield in the wake of potential losses in free agency to Darrel Williams and Jerick McKinnon.