New England Patriots rumors: 3 Titans to target in 2022 NFL free agency

Will the New England Patriots finally get their man in linebacker Rashaan Evans

Another young linebacker who may be on his way out of Tennessee is Rashaan Evans.

The 26-year-old linebacker was a healthy scratch in the Titans’ Divisional round loss to the Bengals which could lead one to think he has played his last game in a Titans’ uniform.

If so, the New England Patriots should be heavy on Evans as he is an athletic linebacker who has been compared to Hightower coming out of the University of Alabama.  In fact, it appears he was one Belichick’s radar in that 2018 NFL Draft.

With that Nick Saban connection, it is a safe bet that Belichick absolutely had Evans on his draft board, and it is also a good bet that he will at least kick the tires on Evans during free agency.

Although his production with Tennessee appeared to tail off in 2022, Evans is a physical linebacker who made his name known when the Titans knocked the Patriots out of the playoffs in 2019.  In what appeared to be Tom Brady’s last game in a Patriots’ uniform, Evans was key in a goal line stand that set the tone for the game and inspired the Titans to a Wild Card upset at Gillette Stadium.

You better believe that performance is clear on the mind of Belichick who knows he needs to get younger and faster at the linebacker position.  The only question in targeting a player like Evans is what his market may be. With him being essentially benched, he could come at a value for the New England Patriots.