Shaq Evans may have graduated from college football, but he’s just been redshirted. The Jets’ fourth-round draft pick, Shaq Evans will be placed on the IR for the entirety of his rookie season. He has been attempting to heal up a shoulder injury.
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Reports surfaced on Tuesday that Evans had been waved by the team, however, that news was incorrect. He will sit safely on the team’s IR, where he cannot be claimed. By choosing not to submit him to waivers, they demonstrated their value in the young receiver. It indicates that they expect he will be future contributor — and as he was a fourth round pick, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Rex Ryan spoke of the injury before he was place on the IR.
“That shoulder looks pretty bad,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “We’ll see how that goes, but it doesn’t look good right now. We talked to him about it, too. He had the other shoulder [injury] before. But this one seems to be bothering him a lot more. This looks like a severe injury.”
The Jets are running on a short supply of receivers. They signed Eric Decker this offseason, but Evans had as good a chance as any on the roster to take the No. 2 spot. Stephen Hill can’t ride his second-round draft status for much longer. He needs to produce. His touted athleticism is wonderful — but it doesn’t do the Jets’ any good if he can’t apply it to catching footballs.
The Jets battle for No.2 wide receiver will fizzle on without Evans.