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Atlanta Falcons’ veteran running back Cordarrelle Patterson is never too shy to voice his opinion or routinely cheer on his teammates with a simple tweet.
Most recently, Patterson took to Twitter on Christmas Eve, following the team’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, to call out the NFL and more for leaving rookie running back Tyler Allgeier out of the “Rookie of the Year” talk.
“@tylerallgeier17 my dawg should be in the ROTY conversation!!!!!!
@NFL,” Patterson tweeted.
Despite another losing season for the Falcons, Allgeier has been a bright spot on the team.
With two games left to play, Allgeier has logged 817 rushing yards and two scores along with 15 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown, making him one of the best rookie running backs Atlanta has ever had.
NY Jets WR Leads ROTY Race
According to the oddsmakers, New York Jets’ rookie wideout, Garrett Wilson, leads the Rookie of the Year race.
And rightfully so with 67 receptions, 966 yards, four touchdowns, a 60.9% catch rate and a 3.6% drop rate.
Other star players in the ROTY discussion include Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson and New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave.
According to Falcons’ writer and analyst, Kevin Knight of The Falcoholic, Allgeier should be mixed with the names listed above, but it’s a bit more complicated than that.
“I think it’s a great story, and that’s half the battle with these awards,” he said during a radio segment on ESPN 960 on Decemeber 23. “But it’s also always an uphill battle for non-QBs to win those awards.
“Allgeier hasn’t really gotten the opportunity to be the bell cow back in Atlanta, and that probably hurts him … If he finishes really strong, and breaks the Falcons’ rookie rushing record, he’ll be in consideration for that award.”
Allgeier Brought More Versatility to Falcons’ Offense
Allgeier joined the Falcons as a 2022 fifth-round pick following back-to-back seasons where he notched over 1,000 rushing yards for BYU.
He left owning the fifth-most rushing yards and second-most career touchdowns in Cougars history.
His best season yet came in 2021 when he logged a single-season record of 1,601 yards, 1,606 yards and 23 touchdowns on 5.8 yards per carry, while adding 28 catches for 199 receiving yards as a junior in 2021.
Similar to the Falcons’ third-round pick, linebacker/running back Troy Andersen, Allgeier brought some more versatility to Atlanta after having played on both sides of the ball.
He immediately made an impact during pre-season as he finished his NFL debut rushing for 25 yards on three carries. On one run, he ran for 15 yards.
But what caught many viewers’ attention is when he also chipped in with some blocking that resulted in Desmond Ridder throwing a game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Jared Bernhardt.
Atlanta’s head coach Arthur Smith isn’t one to just hand out compliments to players, however, he was clearly happy with Allgeier’s performance that night.
“Tyler’s a tough kid. …Absolutely, that’s why we drafted him,” Smith said in the Falcons’ post-game presser on August 12. “That’s the stuff we value.”
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