Atlanta Falcons: Can Tevin Coleman push Devonta Freeman for snaps?

Devonta Freeman was the standout running back for the Atlanta Falcons in 2015. Can Tevin Coleman change that this season?

When Tevin Coleman was selected with the Atlanta Falcons’ third-round pick a year ago, it felt like the new regime had found their guy to lead the backfield.

Devonta Freeman was only entering his second season, but changes to the coaching staff gave enough reason to believe it was Coleman’s job to lose. As it turned out, this was the case as the rookie was given the starting nod ahead of Freeman in Week 1 following an injury-hit training camp for both backs.

Coleman posted a respectable 80 yards from his 20 carries on debut, and it didn’t take long in Week 2 to punch it into the end zone for his first NFL touchdown. The future looked ominous for Freeman, seemingly beaten to the starting gig as many expected, but an untimely injury for Coleman opened the door.

With the rookie ruled out of the Week 3 game at Dallas with a ribs injury, Freeman was handed the all-important opportunity that had eluded him for over a year, and he responded with a breathtaking 141-yard, three-touchdown display. This was backed up with three more touchdowns against Houston a week later and an 153-yard performance against Washington.

The Washington game also marked the return to the lineup for Coleman, although this time he was in Freeman’s shadow, taking just two carries for three yards.

All of his early season promise quickly evaporated into a frustrating campaign. Every time Coleman took a step forward and broke out a big run showcasing his speed, it seemed he took three steps back with a costly fumble or avoidable error.

Coleman’s shining moment came in the 20-10 loss to Minnesota. Freeman sat out of the game with a concussion, and Coleman stepped in with 110 yards from 18 carries. Again, however, he was left frustrated after coughing up the football for the third time of the season.

It’s clear he needs to clean up his fumbling issue entering his second year in Atlanta, but can doing so help him make the Falcons’ backfield more of a two-headed monster rather than the Devonta Freeman Show?

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Freeman’s workload hit a tipping point at the backend of the season and his production began to nosedive somewhat, which shows he needs some more help back there. With Freeman’s ability to take carries in the backfield and also split out as a receiver, he was seeing as many as 35 touches in some games, which is the fast track to burnout.

There’s no questioning Freeman’s status as the offense’s leading back, and feeding him the ball usually translates to production, but over the course of the season it’s important to keep him as a fresh as possible.

Coleman’s presence can do this. In the two games he started and finished, he tallied 38 carries for 190 yards at an average of five yards per carry. Although a small sample size, he showed he can handle taking a bulk of carries.

So long as Freeman is healthy, Coleman doesn’t need to take on the lion’s share, instead acting as a complementary piece who can add a change-of-pace and ease the pressure from No. 24.

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The Falcons offense is looking to bounce back from a sluggish 2015 performance, and Coleman’s development to pair with Freeman’s shining star will help Kyle Shanahan achieve this.

It’s now down to Coleman.