The Falcons have released running back Ito Smith, per a club announcement. It’s a surprising move, given the Falcons’ so-so collection of RBs. 
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Smith, a 2018 fourth-round pick, has spent all three of his NFL seasons to date with the Falcons. In total, he’s logged 175 carries for 689 yards and 55 catches for 314 yards with six all-purpose touchdowns. His penchant for game-changing plays put him on the radar as a rookie and he had considerable buzz after averaging 6.4 yards per tote on a limited sample. Then, an early-season injury slowed his momentum in 2019. He returned last year to take 63 carries for 268 yards (4.3 ypc) and one rushing TD, plus 17 grabs for 75 yards and three receiving TDs.
Despite his solid work as a reserve, new head coach Arthur Smith has other plans in mind. Recent signee Mike Davis figures to take on a leading role in the backfield with support from Qadree Ollison, Tony Brooks-James, and fullback Keith Smith. There’s still work to be done in that area, so the Falcons will likely target zone scheme-friendly running backs early in the draft.
Releasing Smith will save the Falcons $920K against the cap with $155K in dead money.
Bold move cotton…
Your RB collection kinda stinks, so getting rid of any of them doesn’t make a ton of sense unless you add decent/legit ones
This release is an odd one. Doesn’t save them much money and their current RBs are fragile.
They should have keep Ito for sure! He was at least their #2 back.
I think he is worth a look in Miami
Why is Miami a good fit for every RB
Desperation?
Did his parents name him after the judge from the OJ trial? Born in 1995.
I think they did.
Love it!!
I hated this pick so much 3 years ago… glad he is gone
Smith really doesn’t bring much to the table. He’s versatile, but really doesn’t do anything particularly well. He is a hard worker and was a favorite of the coaching staff, and he did do a lot of special teams as well. I don’t think that this will set the Falcons back too much. Smith might head to San Fran, I believe, to hook up with Shanahan as a backup.