Atlanta Falcons need to replace Devonta Freeman in the second round

While Devonta Freeman had a solid day for both the Atlanta Falcons and fantasy owners, the running back position still needs to be addressed.

With the Atlanta Falcons having two draft picks in the second round, they need to aim their first second-rounder toward a Devonta Freeman replacement.

Yes, the Falcons have holes on defense that need to be addressed this coming offseason. However, this shouldn’t overshadow how poor the Falcons have been on the ground. With the 5th best offense in the league, this is solely due to the Falcons having the 3rd best passing offense.

Setting at 30th on the rushing list, ahead of only the Dolphins and Jets, no other teams see that large of a gap between their rushing offense and their passing offense. Not even Tampa Bay, who averages over 300 passing yards a game.

Devonta Freeman is the leader of this 30th rated rushing attack with just under 600 yards this season. Freeman is towards the bottom of the league in terms of average yards per attempt.

This felt like a game where Devonta Freeman could redeem himself and his future with the Atlanta Falcons. However, only getting 53 yards against the 28th rush defense who allows 139 yards a game keeps the question open as to what the Falcons should do regarding Freeman.

Only three times this season has Devonta Freeman rushed for over five yards more than three attempts in a game. Six times this season, Freeman rushed for more than five yards only two attempts or less.

It took Freeman 14 weeks to finally score on the ground.

On the other hand, Freeman has shown effectiveness in the passing game. But, Freeman is not a back that is built to be a receiving back. Having a running back that has the versatility and a hard cut-and-go is what this Falcons offense needs.

Devonta Freeman just isn’t that guy anymore. There’s no doubt that Freeman can be effective in another offense that is built for the ground game, that’s just not what Atlanta has.

The Atlanta Falcons will fall even further in the draft with a win this coming weekend against Tampa- which I truly don’t mind because every win builds momentum for next season. This would eliminate D’Andre Swift from draft potential; who is regarded as the best back with how dangerous his versatility can be.

If Chuba Hubbard falls into the lap of the Falcons, he should be heavily considered as he has experience being in a pass-first offense. Hubbard also has a solid ground game. Nearly having 2,000 yards on the ground in 2019 shows he can be effective in both areas of the attack.

Let’s also not forget, the cap hell that the Falcons are about to step in that may force the Falcons to dump Devonta Freeman to try and save costs every way they can. Especially if the falcons want to resign key guys.

So while the prime focus of the offense needs to be on defense, the running back position needs to be addressed in the second round of the upcoming draft.