3 silent assassins on Atlanta Falcons in 2023

2. Tyler Allgeier, RB

Last season, the Falcons loved running the football more than just about any other team in the NFL. They had plenty of guys to carry the rock, too. Whether it was Marcus Mariota, Cordarrelle Patterson, Caleb Huntley or fifth-round rookie Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta stayed committed.

Just by looking back briefly at the 2022 campaign, one might not have thought much about Allgeier other than being a stop-gap for whomever came next at the position. It just so happened that the Falcons were in position to draft Bijan Robinson this year, which means Allgeier will take a huge step back in total touches.

Don't forget just how good Allgeier was last year, though. He was better than most might have thought.

Allgeier received an 86.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2022 (5th overall out of 60 qualified running backs). If you were to tell me Allgeier would end the season as the fifth-highest graded running back by Pro Football Focus, I would have laughed. I liked his potential as a starter, but I never would have guessed he would finish that high in the eyes of experts like he did.

Allgeier ended his rookie campaign rushing for 1,035 yards on 210 carries. He'll go into this season as one of the best backup running backs in football.