Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Justin Evans still in walking boot

A key piece to improving the secondary of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be the success of safety Justin Evans, but he is still unable to practice.

As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to overhaul their secondary, one reliable defender over the past two seasons was safety Justin Evans. However, Evans’ season ended last year with a trip to the injured reserve, and as of yesterday, he is still in a walking boot after another procedure on same foot that knocked him out a year ago.

At the time he was put on the IR, Evans had a toe injury that sidelined him, head coach Bruce Arians told 95.3 WDAE that he had a procedure on a heel. He is expected to be in a walking boot for one or two weeks in order to fully recover.

In the meantime, Greg Auman of The Athletic has reported new safety Kentrell Brice and last year’s starter Jordan Whitehead have been handling the starting roles with rookie Mike Edwards rotating in. It is unclear who will start with Evans once he heals, but has been assumed that Edwards will fill as a big nickel slot safety as a rookie.

While Evans took a step back in his second year in 2018, he put together a solid rookie year and has displayed a world of potential has a hard hitting safety. New defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has always been able to get the most out of safeties such as Jamal Adams, Tyrann Matheiu, and Tony Jefferson; Evans hopes to become his next success story.

The 2017 second round pick has tallied four total interceptions, three tackles for loss, and eight passes defended in 19 total starts for the Buccaneers. Year three will be a necessary one for Evans to take the next leap, so using mini-camp to get 100 percent healthy is a wise idea for him and the Buccaneers.