Top five best running backs in the history of the Atlanta Falcons

William Andrews had a great career with the Atlanta Falcons, but sadly, it wasn’t a long one. Andrews only played six seasons due to a serious knee injury that made him miss two full years. Before that knee injury, he rushed for 5,772 yards and 29 touchdowns on 1,263 attempts. He was also a dangerous receiver out of the backfield, catching 81 passes in 1981.

His career was honored when he was inducted into the inaugural Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor in 2004, cementing his legacy as an all-time Atlanta Falcons great. It’s a shame that he missed two full years of action coming off of his best season yet and at the prime of his career. Nonetheless, he will always be thought of as one of the greatest to ever put on a Falcons uniform.

Michael Turner is one of the greatest free-agent signings in the history of the Atlanta Falcons organization. A man who was the back-up for LaDainian Tomlinson for four seasons, signed with the Atlanta Falcons after the 2007 season. He was fresh and hungry to prove that he had the talent to be a star running back, and boy did he.

Turner’s 2008 season is simply one of the most dominating displays of running ever seen by an Atlanta Falcon. He rushed for 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns on 376 attempts, helping lead the team to an 11-5 record and removing the bad omens that hung over the team in 2007. His run style was physical, dragging grown men around like they were children and he had sneaky speed.

His time with the Atlanta Falcons was a huge reason why 2008-2012 was arguably the most successful time period in the history of the franchise. He has the most rushing touchdowns in team history (60) and in a season (17), proving that he is one of the greatest runners Atlanta has ever seen.