Omari Evans could break through training camp with the NFL franchise in a specialist role.
The Washington Huskies football team has several players from last year's squad attempting to make an impact and earn significant playing time on 53-man NFL rosters this season.
The Huskies had seven players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. Many of those players, including second-round pick and the team's leading receiver from last season, Denzel Boston (picked by the Cleveland Browns), are expected to play major roles on their new teams.
Several more former Washington players who weren't drafted are also trying to carve out a role on a 53-man roster. One of those undrafted free agents is former wide receiver Omari Evans.
Evans signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, and is still in training camp and looking to carve out a role with the team.
Based on a recent report, if Evans is able to break camp with the Chiefs, it will likely be as a specialist.
According to a post on "X" from the Chiefs Zone podcast host Farzin Vousoughian, Evans was among several players to receive kick return reps for Kansas City in a practice earlier this month.
The Chiefs seem to be fairly certain of testing out Evans as a potential returner. In a 20-12 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, Evans returned a kick 24 yards and received two targets in the passing game but didn't catch a pass.
Evans' speed was his biggest calling card in his college career. At UW's pro day back in March, he had an official 40-yard dash time of 4.28 seconds.
The 6-foot, 195-pound pass-catcher began his career with the Penn State Nittany Lions. He played three seasons with Penn State from 2022-24 but was unable to carve out consistent performances with his speed. He totaled 30 catches for 564 yards and seven touchdowns across his trio of years with the Nittany Lions.
Evans transferred to the Huskies for his final year of college ahead of last season. He reeled in 17 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown.
Despite his speed theoretically being an advantage in the return game, Evans totaled just three kickoff returns, all with Penn State, in his career and didn't return a punt once.
Kansas City has developed a reputation over the last several seasons in taking receivers with high-end speed and utilizing them in capacities beneficial to the team. If Evans makes the team as the primary kick returner, there's a chance that multi-time MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes would be able to take advantage of the speed he Evans could provide as a backup wide receiver on the outside.
