The Atlanta Falcons made a few post-draft moves Monday, including the release of running back Mike Davis. The move saves the Falcons $2.5 million in cap space and opens an opportunity for fifth-round pick Tyler Allgeier to make an instant impact in the Atlanta backfield.
While Cordarrelle Patterson may be listed as RB1 on the depth chart, his utilization as a receiver as well will leave carries on the table for free-agent signee Damien Williams, Qadree Ollison, and Allgeier. Davis finished second behind Patterson with 138 carries in 2021, rushing for 503 yards and three touchdowns.
The Falcons’ newest back began his career as a walk-on at BYU and even spent time at linebacker before finding his way into the running back rotation. The 5-foot-11 RB maintained that physicality from his time on defense, and with a powerful running style, he burst onto the scene in 2020. After racking up over 1,100 yards in his junior season, he followed that up with an even better 2021—rushing for over 1,600 yards and 23 touchdowns, tying him for the most in the country.
Arthur Smith had the luxury of calling plays for Derrick Henry in Tennessee, but lacked that level of physicality from his running backs in his first season at the helm in Atlanta. Allgeier perhaps offers a missing element to the offense. According to PFF, the fifth-rounder led college football with 1,683 yards after contact since 2020 and ranked 4th in missed tackles forced with 111.
Discussing Allgeier’s addition, Smith acknowledged that he’ll have a chance to see the field right away in some form or fashion.
“We love his yards after contact. We love the mental makeup. We think he’s a guy that should come in here, and if he’s not contributing on 1st or 2nd down right away, he’s a guy that hopefully helps us on 4th down. But, the opportunity is there. With the running back room, it’s wide open,” he said.
Experts say that pass protection and catching the ball out of the backfield are areas where Allgeier can improve, but it appears the Falcons found value with his selection in the later rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft.