The Vikings are transferring on from a former defensive starter. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Vikings have waived cornerback Akayleb Evans.
A 2022 fourth-round decide, Evans had occasional defensive cameos as a rookie earlier than taking up a considerably bigger function as a sophomore. The cornerback began all 15 of his appearances in 2023, ending with 65 tackles, seven passes defended, one interception, and three compelled fumbles. The added accountability didn’t essentially result in a bump in effectiveness, as Professional Soccer Focus solely ranked Evans 99th amongst 127 qualifying CBs final season.
The Vikings reworked their CB depth chart this previous offseason, bringing in each Stephon Gilmore and Shaq Griffin to pair with Byron Murphy. Because of this, Evans has been restricted to solely three defensive snaps in 2024, with the third-year participant even falling behinds the likes of Jay Ward and Theo Jackson on the depth chart. Whereas Evans seemingly fell out of favor, Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune points out that he was one of many few CBs signed past the 2024 marketing campaign, which means the group could also be eyeing one more positional makeover this offseason.
As ESPN’s Kevin Seifert notes, there’s an opportunity that Evans nonetheless lands again on Minnesota’s observe squad. In fact, that might require the participant to move by way of waivers unclaimed, so the Vikings can’t essentially depend on the roster machination.
