Getty Brian Hill #23 of the Atlanta Falcons rushes for a touchdown.
There are a handful of young Falcons players already standing out this season and backup running back Brian Hill is one of them.
Hill, 24, is heading into his fourth season with the Falcons and noticeably improving year by year. In fact, he is on track to being the next man up to Todd Gurley on the depth chart.
“Brian is one of the most improved players that I’ve seen over the last few years,” Quinn said via Atlanta Falcons’ official website. “The reason being from where he was just a few years ago to where his game is today. He’s fit, he’s strong, the reads are right, he’s on it in protections, he adds value in special teams. He’s definitely going to be a contributor.”
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Hill’s Impression During 2019 Season
After Devonta Freeman’s primary backup, Ito Smith was out due to a neck and concussion injury last season, Hill stepped in.
Hill, 24, rushed 78 times for 323 yards and touchdowns last season. He caught 10 passes for 69 yards and one touchdown during the 2019 season.
He made his big impression against with a 26-9 win over the New Orleans Saints. Freeman suffered a foot injury in the first half of the game and was out for the rest.
The Falcons were looking to improve their run game and attack the Saint’s run defense, who were in the top-five at the time giving up an average of 84.3 yards per game. Atlanta finished with 143 rushing yards and 61 yards were from Hill.
Todd Gurley Will Be Placed on Touch Count
Due to some knee issues, Gurley will be placed on touch count this season. After watching him in training camp, offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter finally has an idea of how many touches per game he’ll get.
Koetter revealed that Gurley will have anywhere between 15 to (maybe) 25 touches per game. He noted that it depends not only where Atlanta is in the game but where they are in the season too as far as wear and tear on players goes.
In his last season in LA, Gurley averaged 16.9 touches per game last season, which was off his career average of 20.3.
Even on touch count, Gurley averaged 3.8 yards per carry last season with career lows in carries with 223 and yards with 857. Gurley’s bad knee didn’t stop him from scoring 14 touchdowns in which 12 were rushing TDs.
Hill’s Rocky NFL Career
Hill has had quite the NFL journey of ups and downs but it’s actually been in his favor. And he is fairly confident in his own run game potential.
“Once I get to open up, I like my chances,” Hill said via AtlantaFalcons.com.
The Falcons drafted and then he was waived by them and re-signed to the practice squad where he stayed for about a month before the Bengals pick him up.
Hill spent a year with the Bengals and then the Falcons re-signed him to the practice squad in 2018. He went active a week later and the Falcons allowed him to make a name for himself that season.
By the end of the 2018 season, Hill played a total of 10 games and rushed for 157 yards on 20 carries.
Before the 2019 season started, Hill had said his experience being cut more than once was “definitely humbling” for him.
With Todd Gurley’s addition to the roster, the Falcons have an exciting offense. But Gurley’s knee is still in question as to how well he will perform and how many games the Falcons will be able to use him in. The running back depth chart will be a continuing battle, but Hill has what it takes to play a major role as the next man up.
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