Falcons Leading Rusher: Cordarrelle Patterson - Or a New RB?
One of the biggest questions for the Atlanta Falcons entering the 2022 season is who will lead the team in rushing. A better question should be which Falcons' player can finally stabilize the rushing attack?
Atlanta's offense hasn't featured a 1,000-yard rusher since Devonta Freeman in 2016. Last season, offensive weapon Cordarrelle Patterson led the team on the ground despite the expectation that former Carolina Panthers running back Mike Davis would be taking over as the team's top option.
Patterson finished with 618 yards to go along with six touchdowns and an average of four yards per attempt. Davis finished second with 503 yards and three touchdowns, but averaged a mere 3.6 yards per run. Qadree Ollison and Wayne Gallman also saw reps, but neither finished with more than 110 yards on the year.
Patterson is back for another year in Atlanta. So is Ollison. The Falcons also added Damien Williams from the Chicago Bears and selected BYU's Tyler Allgeier in the fifth round to factor into the run game.
Which player will lead the team on the ground? The hope should be for Allgeier, since he is the newcomer with the most untapped potential entering the year.
Patience has always been key to Allgeier's success. With the Cougars, he often would wait for running lanes to open rather than bulldoze his way ahead for the short yards. The finesse combined with power led to a stellar final campaign in Provo for the sophomore as he'd finish third among FBS runners with 1,601 yards and 23 touchdowns.
"Four-down player," Falcons' general manager Terry Fontenot said of Allgeier in April. "First and second down, the way he can run the ball, the way he can catch it, he can protect. Fourth down the value he can bring in our kicking game; he fits our ethos."
Patterson will again carve out a role in coach Arthur Smith's offense, but he's arguably best utilized as a multi-purpose player rather than leading rusher. Consistency will be essential for Atlanta this fall as only the Houston Texans finished with on the ground in both total yards (1,422) and yards per attempt (3.4).
Allgeier has all the tools Smith looks for in a lead runner. Barring regression or injury, we expect him by midseason to see a bulk of the carries on early downs, thus making him the prime candidate to finish as the team's most efficient back.
