The Atlanta Falcons lost one of their biggest playmakers when they placed Antone Smith on injured reserve after he suffered a broken leg against the Carolina Panthers. The team opted not to replace him with either LeGarrette Blount or Ben Tate who were both available earlier in the week and are instead placing their faith in the three backs left on the roster. That means rookie Devonta Freeman will be seeing an increased amount of playing time in the final stretch of the season.
The Falcons did not add anyone to the running back rotation following the Smith injury because they like what they see from Freeman. Head coach Mike Smith voiced his confidence in the running back and Freeman believes he is ready for increased responsibility on the offense.
"Injuries are going to happen all the time," Freeman said, via ESPN.com. "I've been hurt so many times in my career. I broke my ankle three times; broken hip. I've sprained my ankles a lot. So I understand what [Smith] is going through and all the pain, especially when you have a passion for football. For me, I just want to go out there and help the team as much as I can and contribute to this team's success, which I think we're going to have a lot of success. I just plan on going out there and being consistent, competing, being physical, and doing what I do best."
Freeman's most playing time came during the blowout win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He got 11 carries in the game for 12 yards total. On the season he has 147 yards off just 35 carries along with one touchdown against the Detroit Lions. The Falcons have only used the rookie sparingly during the season, sticking with Steven Jackson as the starter and Jacquizz Rodgers as the backup, but that will change starting this week.
"Well Devonta has an explosive running style," offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said. "He hits the hole fast. You saw when he got out into the open field on the one the other night, he was able to make one guy miss and then kind of run through a second guy. He's just got an explosive style. Usually, at the running back position, this thing sorts itself out earlier in the season. It's unfortunate. We hate to lose Antone because he's such a valuable player in both the offensive aspect and in the special teams aspect. Now we're splitting three guys instead of four, so both Devonta and Jacquizz should see their time go up."
These next few games will be a peak into the future for the Falcons. Both Jackson and Rodgers are working off expiring deals and may not be back as the team rebuilds in the offseason. Freeman will get a chance to prove his worth to the team and what he can bring as a potential starting running back.