Falcons Roster Update: Move to New RB

A surprise cut came Thursday evening.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 2, 2021

The Atlanta Falcons released their 53-man roster Tuesday, but were tweaking it less than 48 hours later.

The team announced Thursday that the team had signed veteran running back Wayne Gallman. In a corresponding move, the team released running back Qadree Ollison.

Gallman spent the first four years of his career with the New York Giants before signing a contract in free agency with the San Francisco 49ers.

However, Gallman failed to make the 53-man roster in San Francisco and was cut ahead of Tuesday's 53-man deadline.

Now, Gallman returns to his home state of Georgia to resume his career with the Falcons. He attended Grayson High School, which is approximately 30 miles away from the Falcons training facility in Flowery Branch.

Gallman is expected to back up Mike Davis and Cordarrelle Patterson in the depth chart, a role that Ollison was expected to take on before the Falcons gave him a pink slip today.

Ollison played 11 games over the course of the past two seasons with the Falcons, the team that drafted him in the fifth round back in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Ollison found the end zone four times in his rookie season, but failed to do so in 2020.

In the preseason, Ollison did not dress in the opener against the Tennessee Titans, but played in the final two games, racking up 12 carries for 42 yards.

It seemed like Ollison's original inclusion as part of the 53-man roster was a sign that the team was receptive to his development. However, it appears the team is valuing a player with a more proven track record over a player it has developed over several years.

CONTINUE READING: Falcons Secret Weapon: Cordarrelle Patterson

Published Sep 2, 2021

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.