Vikings CB Akayleb Evans Warms Up Ahead of 2nd Preseason Game
The Minnesota Vikings are entering the 2023 season with plenty of questions at their cornerback position.
Those questions came even further to the forefront on Thursday when both Mekhi Blackmon and Akayleb Evans left the Vikings joint practice against the Titans that afternoon. Luckily, reports after the practice made it seem like those injuries weren’t all that serious.
Vikings fans are getting even more positive signs from Evans on Saturday evening prior to the team’s preseason game against Tennessee. Alec Lewis of The Athletic reported that the second-year cornerback was out on the field for warmups.
Lewis tweeted prior to the game, “Vikings CB Akayleb Evans, who fell hard after a collision Thursday, is out here for warmups. Not sure if he’ll play tonight against the Titans but a good sign regardless. Another DB they need desperately.”
As Lewis iterates in his tweet, it remains unclear if Evans will actually play tonight, but the fact that he is healthy enough to warm up is a very positive development. During his rookie season, Evans suffered three concussions, and the third one ended his season prematurely.
That concussion history was the main concern for Evans when he took friendly fire from safety Josh Metellus and likely prompted head coach Kevin O’Connell to pull him from the practice session. That doesn’t appear to be an issue anymore if the cornerback is out there on the field.
Regardless of if Evans plays tonight, he will be a vital piece of the Vikings defense in 2023. On the team’s first depth chart, he was listed as a starter next to Byron Murphy.
If Evans were to sit out tonight’s game, that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. Andrew Booth had a very strong session on Thursday, and he likely would step up and take over Evans snaps tonight. Other cornerbacks that could be in line for a bigger workload in case Blackmon or Evans sit out would include Joejuan Williams and Tay Gowan.
It remains unclear as to the status of Blackmon heading into tonight’s game as well, but we will very soon find out exactly what the Vikings defense looks like tonight against Tennessee. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 PM Central.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.