Rams Roster: Fast 40+ Rams roster roundup: RB Tiyon Evans (#30)

The chances of an undrafted rookie making an NFL roster are never good odds. But the LA Rams are a team in a unique situation. This team entered the 2023 NFL Draft with fewer than half of the roster fillled. Even with 14 drafted rookies, this team was still more than 30 players shy of a full 90-man roster for training camp.

The LA Rams need to be effective at running the football. In fact, once the LA Rams are able to establish the running game, so many things that were wrong with the team in 2022 become much easier for the team this year. A strong running game gives more time for the passing game, controls the clock, and gives the defense a fighting chance.

To get there, the Rams made a huge hire by adding RB Coach Ron Gould to the coaching staff. Gould's impact can already be felt with the two rookie running backs added to the roster this year. One such running back is a young man out of Louisville, Tiyon Evans.

A quick summary

RB Tiyon Evans is listed on the LA Rams website as 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds. That is a bit larger than 5-foot-9 195-pound Ronnie Rivers or 5-foot-9 194-pound Kyren Williams, but could make a huge difference in Tiyon Evans ability to play all three downs and handle 20+ carries per game if he wins a spot on the Rams roster.

What I don't like about this signing

For a running back to be successful in the NFL, he has to do two things. He must be able to find positive yards even when those yards are not apparent. While he is doing that, he cannot lose the handle on the football. Per his NFL Draft profile, Evans has a tendency to lose the handle on the football. In fact, it was reported that he fumbled three times in 83 carries. That is more than 3.5 percent of the time, and that just won't cut it.

What I like about this signing

If Tiyon Evans can find the handle, he could be a force to be reckoned with. But let's be very clear in the fact that he is arriving raw, looks the part, but it will be up to the mastery of RB Coach Ron Gould to unlock all that potential.

While Evans is no track start per his RAS score, he is no slouch for a running back either. And he is not a niche player, at least not at 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds.

If you are the type of skeptic who needs to see it to believe it, then RB Tiyon Evans is an excellent case study to prove the quality of Coach Gould with running backs. Clearly Tiyon Evans is a new prototype in this Rams offense, and has some quality control concerns. If Coach Gould can get Tiyon Evans (not to be confused with RB Zach Evans, who is also on the Rams roster) coached up to a roster spot, or even to sign on the practice squad, then the Rams rushing attack may be experiencing a true revival.

What I love about this signing

I love the grit, hard work, and determination that Tiyon Evans puts on the football field. The type of performance that is not just a given but happens through hard work and effort. Just for chuckles, note that the Louisville backfield employs a blocking back in their offensive formation. Foreshadow to the LA Rams 2023 offense, hmmm?

Tiyon Evans rushed 81 times for 525 yards and six touchdowns for Tennessee in 2021. Then he rushed 83 times for 525 yards and six touchdowns for Louisville in 2022. He was also used as a receiver, and that is always a valuable talent in the Rams' offense

Evans is like an offensive superstore, a one-stop shop that can deliver almost anything the offensive playebook calls for. That's a unicorn from a player who didn't hear his name called. out.

What are his chances of making the roster?

Yes, the LA Rams running back room is getting crowded again. But I believe that he has a real chance to bump Ronnie Rivers from his roster spot. Will the Rams carry four running backs? The answer to that question answers whether the Rams sign Tiyon Evans to the active roster or to the practice squad.

Oh, by the way, if first impressions count for anything, there were a lot of positive comments from early OTAs about just how build Tiyon Evans appeared when he arrived to compete with his teammates.