Evans: Reunion With Pees 'A Match Made in Heaven'

The last time the linebacker played under the veteran defensive coordinator, he led the Tennessee Titans in tackles.

Matt Pendleton/USA Today Sports

Rashaan Evans got philosophical when he looked back on the end of his time with the Tennessee Titans.

“The thing about learning about football is that there will be times that you are the guy, there will be sometimes where you’re not the guy,” Evans said last week during his introductory press conference as a member of the Atlanta Falcons. “A lot of that has to do with either schematics or to do with (being liked), depending on whether you fit the scheme or you fit the team as well as another person.

“That’s the thing about the NFL. You come into a place, and you give it all you got. At some point, it’s going to come to an end. My time [in Tennessee] came to an end my fourth year.”

Officially, the end came on March 16 when Evans, the Titans’ first-round pick (22nd overall) in 2018, became a free agent upon the expiration of his initial contract. Three weeks later, he signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the Falcons.

His time as “the guy” at inside linebacker for Tennessee effectively ended Dec. 9, 2021, when Zach Cunningham was claimed off waivers from the Houston Texans. Cunningham had a brief history with Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen from their time in Houston, and within a matter of weeks, Evans was Cunningham’s backup.

The deal with Atlanta reunites Evans with his first NFL defensive coordinator, Dean Pees, who came out of retirement last season to take the same position with the Falcons under head coach Arthur Smith, a former Titans offensive coordinator. Evans’ best season to date was 2019, which was the last time he played under Pees. He led the defense in tackles that season with a career-high 139, had two and a half sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback pressures.

“You know, you would think it’s a match made in heaven the way things kind of worked out for me to have an opportunity to be play again under these great coaches,” Evans said. “So, I’m really excited for the next opportunity that I have with the Atlanta Falcons.

“… Kind of the sky’s the limit at this point with what they can and can’t do with me. … I think it will be really exciting and really interesting to see what Dean has in store to be a part of – hopefully – another great defense.”

The Titans liked what they saw from Cunningham so much, that they reworked his deal this offseason, and he is now under contract through 2024.

Evans will have to prove that he can be “the guy” with the Falcons this season – and possibly beyond. For now, though, he believes he is a guy who has a lot to offer – on the field and in the locker room – based on all he went through during his time with the Titans.

“For me, it was definitely a learning experience,” Evans said. “I think I would take a lot of those things that I learned being at Tennessee to the Atlanta Falcons right now, as far as leadership and just knowing some of the things that I’ve been through as far as adversity, just knowing how to handle those things.”