National media outlet says Bengals player could have breakout season from 'out of nowhere'
CBS Sports feels like there's a Cincinnati Bengals player who will have a breakout season from "out of nowhere" in 2022. Chris Trapasso, an NFL writer for CBS Sports, listed five players who could surprise some folks in 2022 and he included Bengals running back Chris Evans. From CBS Sports: The talent is undeniable with […]
CBS Sports feels like there's a Cincinnati Bengals player who will have a breakout season from "out of nowhere" in 2022.
Chris Trapasso, an NFL writer for CBS Sports, listed five players who could surprise some folks in 2022 and he included Bengals running back Chris Evans.
The talent is undeniable with Evans. Check his combine workout, it's first-round caliber, with 90-plus percentile broad and vertical jumps and blisteringly fast agility-drill times. Even after what was easily marked as a disappointing collegiate career relative to the recruitment and freshman year hype, the Bengals rolled the dice in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. Of course, Joe Mixon is Cincinnati's feature back, and Samaje Perine is the locked-in backup, so Evans only saw 17 rushes during the regular season. He averaged 4.5 yards per pop, a respectable figure, and forced an encouraging five missed tackles on those attempts. Evans proved to be a formidable receiving option too, which is probably where the most value of his future lies.
He averaged 10.1 yards per catch on 15 receptions and forced another five whiffs by defenders. He's thick, bouncy, an effortless pass catcher. In short, he has the juice to threaten Perine for to be second in line for out-of-the-backfield touches on a dynamic Bengals offense. If he gets that opportunity — and I think he'll get more action than he saw as a rookie — Evans will bust out in Year 2.
This would certainly qualify as "out of nowhere".
Evans, a sixth-round pick out of Michigan by the Bengals in 2021, finished fourth in rushing yards for the Bengals last season, but his potential as a pass catcher out of the backfield is what makes him a breakout candidate.
The one thing that could hold Evans back in 2022 is a lack of opportunity. Joe Mixon is still the guy at running back. And Joe Burrow has plenty of pass-catching options at his disposal — including Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Hayden Hurst, and Mixon. It's going to be tough for Evans to make an impact with those players on the field.
But if Mixon goes down, we could see Evans step up in a big way. The Bengals are in a good spot when it comes to running back depth thanks to the presence of Evans.
Featured image via Sam Greene/The Enquirer via Imagn Content Services,
