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The Atlanta Falcons made a number of moves on Thursday and releasing running back Ito Smith was one of them.
Smith was a fourth-round pick for the Atlanta Falcons in the 2018 draft. This move might come by surprise, but the Falcons picking up free agent running backs Mike Davis and
Cordarrelle Patterson means they were bound to make some big changes.
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Falcons Fans React to the Team’s Decision on Ito Smith
In his three seasons in Atlanta, Smith appeared in 35 games for the Falcons. He ranked third among Falcons in yards rushing last season gaining 268 yards on 63 carries. He also had 17 receptions for 75 yards.
With the Falcons’ top running backs (Todd Gurley, Brian Hill, and Smith) now free agents, this leaves fans wondering what’s going on and others excited for what’s to come next.
Here’s was a handful of fans have thought so far:
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Coach Arthur Smith’s Backfield Plan
Arthur Smith knew taking the Falcons’ head coaching job was going to be a tough task.
“We’re not going to have Derrick Henry here,” Smith said, via Pro Football Talk. “So, it’s not like I think we’re going to have Derrick Henry.”
In Smith’s last two seasons at Tennesse, he led one of the most powerful rushing attacks in league history with Henry as his weapon. Henry became the eighth player in the NFL to rush for more than 2,000 yards in one season. Henry’s 2,027 rushing yards currently ranks fifth all-time.
As for the Falcons, their rushing attack ranked 27th across in the NFL last season. Their backfield totaled just over 1,500 yards in rushing yards with Todd Gurley leading the way.
Gurley led the team with 678 yards and nine touchdowns, but by the end of the season, he was no longer the lead back. Both Gurley and the team’s No. 2 rushing option, Brian Hill, became free agents back in March.
But Smith remains up for the challenge of stacking the Falcons’ run game.
“The reality is that we’ll get multiple backs in here, and we’ll have the way we trust our schemes and the way we teach the details of it, and we’ll commit to it,” Smith said. “That should provide hope to people because of that mindset.”
The Falcons depth chart currently lists Mike Davis, Cordarrelle Patterson, Qadree Ollison, and Tony Brooks-James.
Davis is set to be the team’s No. 1 option, however, Todd Gurley and Brian Hill are still on the market so it’ll be interesting to see if the Falcons turn back to one of them. If not, the Falcons have nine draft picks so far and using one on a young tailback might be in their plans.
