It’s time for the Atlanta Falcons to showcase Qadree Ollison
By Joe Beasley
Austin Hooper wasn’t the only person that got injured for the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday. Starting running back Devonta Freeman was also bit by the injury bug which puts the depth chart at running back to the test.
When the Atlanta Falcons decided to draft another running back, people were scratching their heads but now that looks like somewhat of a smart decision.
With the injury to Freeman and Ito Smith being placed on the IR, the Falcons are now down to Brian Hill, Kenjon Barner, and the rookie Qadree Ollison
Fans have seen Hill and Barner in action but to the casual fan, no one knows who Ollison is. Its time for the fans to find out.
Ollison was drafted in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft and he is far from a scrub. He was second-team All-ACC at Pittsburgh after having to step in for James Conner while he was dealing with a knee injury and his cancer diagnosis.
Even though his production dropped off his sophomore and junior seasons due to the return of Conner, he came back for his senior season and put up even better numbers.
He’s a bigger back which makes him hard to tackle and doesn’t turn the ball over. While there will be some growing pains with Ollison, there could be a good chance that Atlanta has found themselves another dependable running back which makes getting rid of Freeman in the offseason that much easier.
Odds are that Brian Hill earns the start for the Falcons next game against the Panthers after his showing this last weekend against the Saints and Barner will more than likely back him up, but Ollison needs to be given a chance to make an impact.
Given his history, there is little doubt that Ollison will show up and show out when his name is called. When you watch his game film, he has a low center of gravity and runs tough looking for contact, not shying away from it. He has the ability to pick up the tough yards that the other Atlanta Falcons running backs cannot.
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The Falcons now have a chance to see what he can do and they shouldn’t waste this opportunity, besides this isn’t the first time this young man has had to step up.