Falcons Cut Mike Davis; How's RB Depth Chart Look?

The Atlanta native spent just one disappointing season with the Falcons.

Jeremy Brener | May 2, 2022

Just one year after signing with his hometown team, the Atlanta Falcons are giving running back Mike Davis the pink slip.

Mike Davis

After coming off his best season in 2020 where he rushed for over 600 yards and six touchdowns with the Carolina Panthers, the six-year veteran signed with his hometown Falcons expecting to be the top running back in the offense.

However, Davis struggled and fellow free agent signee Cordarrelle Patterson performed beyond expectations, relegating Davis to a backup role once again.

Davis finished the 2021 season with 473 yards and three touchdowns.

Then in the offseason, the team re-signed Patterson and fellow teammate Qadree Ollison. The Falcons also signed Damien Williams from the Chicago Bears and drafted BYU standout Tyler Allgeier in the fifth round of the NFL Draft this past weekend.

The drafting of Allgeier put the writing very clear on the wall that someone was on the outside looking in - and that someone was Davis.

With Davis out of the picture, here's how the depth chart looks:

Mike Davis

RB1 - Cordarrelle Patterson

RB2 - Damien Williams

RB3 - Qadree Ollison/Tyler Allgeier

Patterson will keep the starting spot until he has proven that he doesn't deserve it. He'll be given the opportunity to prove that his unprecedented 2021 campaign was not a fluke.

Williams, who the team signed from the Chicago Bears earlier in the offseason, is now expected to be the primary backup behind Patterson without Davis looking over his shoulder.

As for the third spot, it's a battle between Ollison and the newly-drafted Allgeier. The rookie has the inside path as the team hopes to develop him into the feature back someday, but he has to earn his way up the depth chart and Ollison is his first hurdle.

Published May 2, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.