Jordan Evans suffers torn ACL vs. Packers

When the cart comes out for a knee injury, it’s never a good sign.

That’s what the Cincinnati Bengals dealt with right before half-time Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. While taking on a block during a Packers’ kickoff return, linebacker Jordan Evans fell to the turf and could not get up under his own power. Evans was carted off the field, and for good reason.

Per NFL insider Tom Pelissero, Evans tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.

A fifth-year player, Evans was a sixth-round pick of the Bengals in 2017 out of Oklahoma. During the latter half of his rookie contract, Evans carved out a special teams role and ascended into a leader within the unit. The club re-signed him for just this season to be exactly that, as well as a primary backup at linebacker for the defense.

Through the first four weeks, Evans led Cincinnati in special teams snaps with 86. His absence will mainly be felt there, and Markus Bailey figures to take his spot as one of the main reserves at linebacker.

It’s unfortunate that Evans may hit the free agent market while still recovering from his inevitable surgery. We may’ve seen the last of him in a Bengals uniform. Expect him to land on the Reserve/Injured list sometime this week.