Falcons coach Arthur Smith is still letting rookie running back Bijan Robinson know he’ll have to earn a starting job.

Although Robinson was the No. 8 overall pick and will surely be the No. 1 running back in Atlanta when the regular season starts, he remains the third running back on the depth chart for the Falcons’ third and final preseason game.

Cordarrelle Patterson is listed as the No. 1 running back and Tyler Allgeier is listed as No. 2.

While depth charts in August don't tend to mean a whole lot, the story went on to say Smith prefers to keep rookies behind veterans who have already proven themselves, and both Patterson and Allgeier played well last season. But Robinson was drafted to be the Falcons’ starting running back, and it remains overwhelmingly likely that he will be for the Falcons’ Week 1 game against the Panthers.

Arthur Smith said Cordarrelle Patterson will be out a couple of weeks, likely the rest of the preseason, and they will reevaluate and have more info on his status in the week before Week 1.

Related Players: Tyler Allgeier

This could end up being a huge boost to Allgeier, as the RB2 in Atlanta's scheme figures to be heavily involved. We will keep an eye on the situation, but a soft tissue injury for Patterson, who is entering his age-32 season could end up lingering longer the team is hoping.

The Falcons placed Caleb Huntley on injured reserve, the team announced Tuesday. It was an expected move after the running back injured an Achilles’ tendon early in Sunday’s game against the Saints.

Related players: Cordarrelle Patterson, Tyler Allgeier, Avery Williams

The team didn’t add another running back in a corresponding move, and instead will roll with Patterson, Allgeier and Williams. Allgeier is coming off a huge game where he ran 17 times for 139 yards and a score. Patterson will likely remain involved as well and finished last week with a 14-52-1 line.

Falcons’ RB Caleb Huntley suffered a season-ending Achilles injury on Sunday that is expected to require surgery.

Related Players: Tyler Allgeier, Cordarrelle Patterson

The injury happened early in the game, so we have a good idea of how the team will handle the workload without Huntley, whose usage has fallen off since his 16-carry Week 8 performance; after basically going neck-and-neck with Cordarrelle Patterson after the last month or so, Tyler Allgeier far out-touched him in Week 15, turning his 18 touches into 136 yards from scrimmage.
Allgeier has been a pleasant surprise this year and now has three different 40+ yard runs on the year, and could continue a heightened workload with Caleb Huntley being sidelined the rest of the year.

The Falcons activated RB Cordarrelle Patterson off injured reserve ahead of Sunday’s game against the Chargers.

Patterson is back after missing the last four games. While Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley did a nice job holding down the fort, Patterson gives Atlanta a bit more explosiveness in the passing game. We’ll see how the Falcons manage all their running backs, as it may turn into a committee of sorts. But thanks to his catching ability, we currently have Patterson as RB20 this week against the Chargers.

Per Rothstein, there is no decision yet on Cordarrelle Patterson for Sunday against the Chargers.

Related Players: Tyler Allgeier, Caleb Huntley, Avery Williams

Though it's been fun learning all these new names in the Falcons backfield, we could have a slam dunk fantasy asset if we had an official lead back. If Patterson remains out, Tyler Allgeier will be the best option against a susceptible Chargers run defense.

Cordarrelle Patterson will return to practice.

Related players: Tyler Allgeier, Caleb Huntley, Damien Williams

Patterson's 21 day window is now open but it remains to be seen when Patterson will get back to the field. When he does, it likely means he'll cut into the workload of Allgeier and Huntley. Allgeier has had double-digit carries every week since Oct. 2. Meanwhile Huntley's had two 16-carry games over the last three weeks. With the Falcons in first place in their division, expect Patterson to continue to have a role.

Cordarrelle Patterson will miss at least four games on IR; Caleb Huntley was promoted from the practice squad after his big day against the Browns.

Related Players: Caleb Huntley, Tyler Allgeier, Avery Williams

Patterson very curiously came off the sideline for one more carry on the team's last full drive after standing with his helmet off for a full quarter and a half. Maybe the team wanted to test his knee one more time, but, regardless, he has now been placed on IR, and the team will have a look at some young options behind him. At the moment, there is likely more murk in this backfield than we would want for fantasy viability; Huntley could be a between-the-20s banger, Allgeier could be more of an "every down" back, and Williams —the team's punt returner— is likely just a scat back.

Falcons players I don’t see in early part of practice (perhaps they show up later):

WR Drake London
DL Marlon Davidson
TE John FitzPatrick
OL Jalen Mayfield
RB Cordarrelle Patterson (rest)

This is the 11th straight day London has missed, which is obviously important time as we get closer to the season. London is still 33rd on our WR rankings making him a lower-end WR3 option. It’s generally a good idea to be careful with rookie receivers, but London is shaping up to be an exception since his ADP is in the seventh round, as long as he can get healthy and ready to play. With Calvin Ridley suspended for the year, it’s going to be the Drake London/Kyle Pitts show in Atlanta. London should soak up 120-140 targets with ease. (Remember, Ridley saw 52 targets in five games last season.) The quarterback situation is unsettled, but Marcus Mariota should be able to hold down the fort while Desmond Ridder figures things out.

The Falcons have released RB Mike Davis.

Related Players: Cordarrelle Patterson, Damien Williams, Tyler Allgeier

Davis could not replicate his 2020 season as Christian McCaffrey's injury replacement and will now be looking to compete for a roster spot elsewhere. Patterson and Williams stand to see the most work as of now with recently-drafted Allgeier new to the team.