Breaking: Falcons set to improve on their running unit as they sign in a top prospect in a blockbuster deal.
Despite missing out on the playoffs the previous season, there is still optimism for the Atlanta Falcons to contend in the 2024 NFL season. Thankfully, their running back unit is developing nicely, especially in light of a recent ranking that was rather positive.
After freeing up cap space and adding new players, Atlanta had high expectations going into the 2023 season, however they were not met. Although Desmond Ridder, the team’s quarterback, was having a “prove-it year,” head coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot struggled.
Ridder’s play was inconsistent; he turned the ball over too frequently and was unable to consistently make “big-time throws.” As a result, Smith spent the second half of the season switching up Ridder and seasoned backup Taylor Heinicke.
The Falcons defense, which was rated in the top 15 by PFF, was a bright spot despite the offense’s struggles. The group was improved by important additions including Jessie Bates III, David Onyemata, and Kaden Elliss. With 89 tackles and 6 interceptions, Bates led the team and was named to the Second Team All-Pro.
The defensive line of the Falcons, with an average starting age of 32.5, was aging, though. The NFL’s lowest pass-rush win percentage and this indicate that the next head coach should concentrate on strengthening the trenches.
The Falcons ultimately concluded their season with a 7–10 record, maintaining their trend of middling performances and earning them the eighth overall draft pick. The inability of the organization to find a quarterback has become a recurrent issue in recent years.
Before the 2024 NFL Season, the Atlanta Falcons’ running back corps receives a favorable ranking.
With youngster Bijan Robinson at the forefront, the Falcons’ running back group advanced. Thankfully, that group was ranked favorably ahead of the 2024 campaign, as Trevor Sikkema of PFF observed in an article.
“Bijan Robinson is a unique talent, and the Falcons’ high ranking on the list is partly due to the belief that, following his 2023 season of over 1,400 scrimmage yards, he will make even more progress in 2024.
It also honors RB2 Tyler Allgeier, who trailed Robinson in 2023 with a 78.0 running grade and over 1,000 yards gained on the ground in his first campaign. They create one of the more potent one-two punches in the NFL at running back, according to Sikkema.
Robinson, who had so much talent, was selected by the team with the eighth overall pick in the previous draft out of Texas. As it turned out, the rookie performed as expected and assisted the Falcons’ running back group in rising to the occasion.
Whether Robinson can improve Atlanta’s running back group in the upcoming season remains to be seen. If he does, the Falcons should make the playoffs the next season.
