Watch: Titans’ Rashaan Evans Throws Punch at Broncos’ Jake Butt

Rashaan Evans did not have a great start to the 2020 NFL season. On Monday night, The Tennessee Titans linebacker was ejected from the game against the Denver Broncos after throwing a punch at tight end Jake Butt. The ejection took place during the first half of the contest as the Titans were down 7-0.

After the game, Evans said he apologized to his teammates for his actions. “It was just basically an overreaction after the play,” he said, as reported by Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky. “A little bit after the whistle there was a little tussle. I wound up overreacting by hitting him… I had the opportunity to apologize to the rest of the guys and basically say I was going to make up for it.” Titans head coach Mike Vrabel also talked about the incident and said Evans will learn from his mistake.

“[Evans] has to keep his composure (on ejection). When you throw a punch, that’s what happens. I think he’ll learn from it,” he said. The good news is, the ejection didn’t cost the Titans as they came away with a 16-14 victory. During Tuesday’s press conference, Vrabel talked about how his guys were able to keep their composure when they were down late in the game.

“You try not to get too high, or get too low, and you try not to panic,” Vrabel said. “You have faith in the players, trust what they are doing, and give them calls that you know they are going to be comfortable with and have confidence in, and being able to execute and being at our best in the critical situations.”

Evans has emerged as one of the top players on the Titans defense. In last year, Evans, who was drafted by the Titans in the first round in 2018 from Alabama, recorded 111 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one fumble recovery for a touchdown.

“We’ve always prescribed in theory that the more that the player can handle, the more we’ll give them,” Vrabel said to reporters back in August when talking about Evans. “Rashaan has developed very well. He’s fun to coach, plays extremely hard, exemplifies what we want, and he’s always looking to improve. He has a great attitude, comes in every day with a willingness to learn, and a willingness to improve. I know he’s very respected by his teammates, as well as his coaches.”