Over the past several years, concussions and brain health have become huge areas of concern in the NFL community with several high-profile brain injuries making headlines recently. And given his history of head injuries, Minnesota Vikings cornerback Akayleb Evans is making some changes heading into the 2023 NFL season.
During his rookie season last year, Akayleb Evans spent three different stints in concussion protocol, the last of which ended his season. And as he prepares for his second season in the league, he says that he’s making some big changes to the way that he tackles to help protect his head.
“It’s just about how I tackle,” Evans said according to ESPN. “My mindset when I tackle is always to be aggressive. But not every tackle has to be a kill shot. . . . Not every tackle has to be as hard as I can. Just being smart about that. But whenever I do go into making a tackle, just keeping my head out of it, being smart about it and intentional about it. So I’ve been working really hard on that.”
Not only does Evans hope these changes will keep him on the field longer next season, but he also hopes it will help protect his longterm health.
[ESPN]
