Cowboys Terminate the Former 1st-round pick contract following marijuana arrest
The Dallas Cowboys are moving on from Rashaan Evans in the wake of the linebackerâs arrest.
Evans was waived by the Cowboys on Wednesday to make room on the 53-man roster for offensive lineman Matt Waletzko, who was activated from injured reserve. Evans was also arrested on Tuesday, which may have played a role in the decision.
Police in Frisco, Texas, confirmed to the Dallas Morning News that Evans was arrested on Tuesday and charged with possession of marijuana.
Evans, 28, was signed by the Cowboys in October following a rash of injuries on defense. He appeared in 9 games and recorded 9 total tackles. Evans only played a handful of special teams snaps in last weekâs loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Evans was drafted in the first round by the Tennessee Titans in 2018. The former Alabama star spent four seasons in Tennessee before signing a 1-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons last year. Evans started all 17 games in 2022 and had a solid statistical season with 159 combined tackles, 4 passes defended, 2 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries.
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was furious after an illegal shift penalty cost his team during their clash with the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
The Cowboys were down 16-7 and had 3rd-and-11 from the Miami 25 during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. CeeDee Lamb lined up on the line and checked in with the official, who told the receiver to back up to avoid an offsides penalty. Lamb backed up, but the officials also thought Jake Ferguson went into motion at the same time.
According to the officials, both players were moving at the same time, which resulted in an illegal shift foul.
The infraction pushed the Cowboys back into a 3rd-and-16 from the Miami 30 and wiped out a Dak Prescott first down. The Cowboys ended up gaining five yards to get back to the 25 and kicked a field goal to make it 16-10.
FOXâs TV cameras later showed McCarthy giving the officials a piece of his mind over the penalty call.
The penalties have been an issue for the Cowboys under McCarthy. He even addressed the issue after a 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills the previous week.
A few Dallas Cowboys supporters took their frustrations too far following their teamâs Sunday loss to the Buffalo Bills, as Cowboys safeties Jayron Kearse and Juanyeh Thomas were doxxed by fans on social media.
The Cowboys were crushed by three scores against the Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.
The Bills came into the contest as the hungrier team looking to keep their postseason hopes alive â and it played out like it. The Cowboys trailed 31-3 in the fourth quarter before a consolation touchdown trimmed the lead to a more respectable 31-10 deficit.
The two members of the Cowboysâ secondary became the objects of some fansâ ire after the defeat.
Kearse posted on X expressing his frustration over a penalty called against him in the second quarter against the Bills. Kearse was flagged for unnecessary roughness after trying to tackle Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir.
The penalty helped extend Buffaloâs drive, which resulted in a touchdown before halftime to extend the Billsâ lead 21-3 over the Cowboys.
Some fans lambasted Kearse on his own post on X. Thomas also replied to the post in an attempt to defend his teammate. A couple of fans responded by revealing Kearseâs home address and Thomasâ phone number in now-deleted posts.
âI can take criticism,â Thomas told Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. âBut you do cross a line when you start doing dumb stuff like that, for real. Itâs a line you canât cross when you start sharing peopleâs addresses and numbers and stuff. At the end of the day, this is still a game. People got a life.â
Thomas admitted that he did miss three tackles in the contest. But a few mistakes on the football field should not lead to any dangerous real-world consequences for any player.