Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
Coming out of high school, Desmond Evans was the top ranked defensive end in the United States.
Today, after a five-year college career at North Carolina and a stint with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, the 23-year-old finds himself battling for a roster spot with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“This whole training camp, being a different country, it’s very new,” said the 6-foot-6, 255-pound defensive lineman who hails from Sanford, N.C. “Some things I’ve got to get used to, but overall it’s football, so I’m very comfortable being here.”
As the Roughriders hold their final week of training camp in Regina, Evans is among a few American defensive ends trying to crack Saskatchewan’s lineup ahead of final roster cuts on Saturday.
And he certainly helped his case in Saskatchewan’s last pre-season games with a pair of tackles and a sack on Saturday in Saskatoon against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, after coming close to downing the quarterback twice the week prior against Calgary.
“I missed two (in the first game), so I was like I’ve got to make it up this last game,” said Evans. “It was wonderful.”
After starring for Lee County High School, Evans was ranked the nation’s top defensive end according to ESPN. He was recruited by North Carolina and chose to play for the Tar Heels, who play just 50 kilometres away from his hometown.
At North Carolina, Evans racked up 124 tackles, nine sacks, six pass deflections and two forced fumbles over 55 games before signing with Tennessee as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft.
Evans played three pre-season games with the Titans but didn’t make the final roster, forcing him to find a job until another football opportunity came up.
He made the move to Atlanta and worked in sales, helping Fortune 500 companies scale their businesses, before the Roughriders reached out.
“I really didn’t know if I was going to play football (again) or not,” said Evans. “They were calling me non-stop. And I just decided to give it a shot.
“In sales, you can make a lot of money, but it was a chance to play football — something I love doing.”
Evans estimates the Roughriders called him “20 times” before he finally agreed to terms with the club on Jan. 19.
And so far in his first training camp with the team, he’s loving the system.
“Working here with (defensive coordinator Joshua Bell), it was a big eye opener,” said Evans. “Because every player wants to have their own little touch on the defence, right?
“So, the more you know within this defence, the better you play, the more you can do … Coach Bell gives us the ability to do what we want to do if we know what to do. That’s what I like about the defence.
“(In the NFL), you’ve got to play by the system. There’s not too much freestyle you can do.”
Defensive line coach Micah Johnson, just one year removed from playing himself, also likes what he sees from the young defensive end — who again is 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds.
“He’s been super receptive,” said Johnson, who was listed at 6-foot-1, 255 pounds when he played. “He’s a smart guy. He’s one of the guys that’s picked up the playbook fast. Everything that’s been asked of him, he’s done.
“And he just has some physical tools that, even me as a coach I can’t coach. For me, it’s just about trying to polish up what he already has, and he already brings so much to the table, so it’s just little details with him.”
While the Roughriders are all out of pre-season games, Evans is focusing in on maximizing the reps he gets in practice, hoping to hear good news come Saturday.
“It’s my job to come in here and lock it in on the plays and do what I need to do,” he said. “It’s up to the people that’s upstairs if they want to keep me here.”
