The Falcons parted ways with Steven Jackson and Jacquizz Rodgers, leaving Devonta Freeman atop the depth chart. But they drafted Tevin Coleman in the third round, making for one of the key camp battles to watch this preseason.
At OTAs, Freeman is running with the starters and Coleman with the backups. That's to be expected, even if it's strictly a case of the veteran having the early edge over the rookie.
We like Freeman, and won't be surprised if he holds off Coleman for the starting job. But the team obviously liked Coleman enough to select him early in the third round, and he's got feature-back talent, if he can put it together at the NFL level. He rushed for more than 2,000 yards at Indiana last year.
You'll recall that last year Jeremy Hill was generally lightly regarded in the preseason, despite the Bengals taking him in the second round. They already had Giovani Bernard, who they'd drafted a year earlier. But gradually, Hill took that job. Coleman, if he can adapt to the zone-blocking system the team is incorporating under new coordinator Kyle Shanahan, could do the same.
Atlanta doesn't have a great offensive line, and this won't be a ground-and-pound offense with Matt Ryan at quarterback. Freeman is a very good pass catcher, and is more likely to be part of the passing offense.
But Coleman can also catch, with 25 receptions last season. He'll need to work on pass protection, like every rookie coming into the league, but he won't necessarily be useless in passing situations.
Coleman doesn't have as clear a path to start as Melvin Gordon or T.J. Yeldon, but he's a player to watch over the next three months anyway. One of those Atlanta backs will be a nice fantasy option this year. We'll see how that one shakes out.
--Andy Richardson