When the Atlanta Falcons signed Tyler Goodson earlier this offseason, he was looked as one of the most inconsequential signings they made in free agency. But this new regime still brought him in in the hopes that he would push Nate Carter for the RB3 job in training camp--and he's done just that.
Given his status as one of the best performers during Falcons camp, the Goodson hype train (which believe it or not, does exist) has officially left the station. His roster odds never really looked like a fever dream, but the preseason opener confirmed the notion that he may already be a roster lock.
In the 27-7 loss to the Denver Broncos, the 25-year-old was one of the offense's only bright spots. He carried the ball just seven times for 28 yards, but his 4.0 yards per carry was significantly better than Carter's numbers, as he carried the ball six times for eight yards (for a brutal 1.3 yards per carry).
Falcons RB Tyler Goodson has turned himself into a complete roster lock
Not only is Goodson pulling away as Atlanta's RB3, he's making waves on special teams. He and Olamide Zaccheus are the two players the Falcons had back as their starting kick returners, and he picked up 30 yards on his lone return attempt. Who's to say an RB3 can't make his value known?
Like we all say, when it rains, it pours, and Tyler Goodson is living proof of that. Once the Dirty Birds kicked off joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts, the veteran runner got an endorsement from Falcons beat reporter Will McFadden, who labeled him one of the winners of Wednesday's session.
Always take RB evaluation in camp with a grain of salt, but Tyler Goodson has been impressive today against his former team. Very fast and hard to get a clean shot on.
— Will McFadden (@willmcfadden) August 19, 2026
McFadden labeled Goodson was "very fast and hard to get a clean shot on", and this was against a Colts team he spent the last three seasons with that should be plenty familiar with his play style. And even though it's hard to evaluate an RB without in-game contact, his burst should still be credited.
While the Iowa product keeps making a stronger and stronger impression on this new coaching staff, his lead over Carter (and undrafted rookie Cash Jones) keeps increasing. At this point in the summer, it would be a surprise if he didn't make the roster just based off of these early training camp returns.
Tyler Goodson will be behind Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr., so while he likely won't see the field on offense very often, the preseason has proven that he can offer the Falcons quality depth at RB3--a position battle that has gone from wide-open as can be to all but over in a split second.
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