The Green Bay Packers now have a third quarterback in the organization. And no, it’s not a veteran of any kind.
On Tuesday evening, the team announced the signing of rookie quarterback Jerod Evans to the practice squad, filling the spot vacated when Joe Callahan was promoted to the active roster. This move was widely expected, as head coach Mike McCarthy has been adamant that the team is happy to move forward with Brett Hundley and Callahan as the QB options following Aaron Rodgers’ injury.
Therefore, that meant that any quarterback brought in to take scout team reps would likely be someone with practice squad eligibility rather than a player who would require a spot on the 53-man roster.
Evans, who measured 6’3” and 232 pounds at the Scouting Combine, left for the 2017 NFL Draft after his junior season, his only year at Virginia Tech. Evans had a long road to Blacksburg, beginning his college football career at Air Force but transferring to a junior college after tearing his ACL. In Indianapolis, Evans ran the 40-yard dash in 4.80 seconds.
However, that 2016 season was an impressive one. Evans completed 63.5% of his passes for 3,552 yards, 29 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions. He also added 846 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 204 carries. According to his NFL.com draft profile, Evans is “a projection-based project” whose “mechanics will require extensive work.” This could make him a good candidate for Mike McCarthy to work with over the foreseeable future.
Evans signed with the Philadelphia Eagles after going undrafted, but was waived with an injury designation a few days later. He was not on an NFL roster during OTAs or training camp.