Ever since Tyler Allgeier left the Atlanta Falcons in free agency early last week, one of their biggest priorities has been to replace him. Based on how much the run game feeds into Atlanta's identity, Ian Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski know it's imperative they find the right RB2 behind Bijan Robinson.
The possibilities are endless for the Falcons. They can look at the many strong veteran running backs still available in free agency, or they can look at some fresher legs and address the position in the 2026 NFL Draft. But is the price tag too rich on some of the top RBs available now that Bijan wants an extension? The answer is clearly not.
NFL Draft expert Ryan Fowler reported that the Dirty Birds hosted Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. for a top 30 visit on Tuesday, which is proof of how seriously they're taking the RB2 search. Washington is projected to be a likely Day 2 pick, yet Cunningham wants a closer look at him.
The Atlanta Falcons could draft Arkansas' RB Mike Washington Jr. to play the Tyler Allgeier role
Washington was one of the major winners of the NFL combine, where he ran a 4.33 40-yard dash and logged a 10.00 relative athleticism score (RAS). That's the highest RAS in NFL history for a running back, and this guy is 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds, so he's an ideal candidate to replace the 25-year-old.
Stefanski clearly wants to hang his hat on the run game and get multiple backs involved, even if Bijan is the centerpiece of the offense. Using Allgeier as a change-of-pace and short-yardage back worked pretty well for the Falcons in 2025, so I see no reason why it wouldn't work with Washington in 2026.
Beyond a strong showing in Indianapolis. the 22-year-old proved himself as one of the top running backs in this draft on tape. During his lone season with the Razorbacks in 2025, he racked up over 1,000 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns on a career-high 6.4 yards per carry. Wow is right.
Washington clearly has the versatility to be a clear contributor at the NFL level, but a Round 2 or 3 price tag is a bit rich. This Falcons' roster has much bigger needs they need to consider, namely at cornerback, defensive tackle, and receiver, and they don't have enough draft capital to justify this.
Between the combine and the Senior Bowl, Washington has been one of the biggest risers of the pre-draft process, so while he would be the perfect complement to Bijan in Atlanta's he's starting to play himself out of their draft range, which is beyond unfortunate. Hopefully he slips down the board a bit.