The Falcons have added depth to their running back room. The team announced on Thursday the signing of journeyman Jeremy McNichols. 
The 26-year-old was a fifth round pick of the Buccaneers in 2017. He never played for Tampa in the regular season, however, failing to make the team during his rookie season. Instead, he went to San Francisco, though he only made two appearances for the 49ers.
That was followed by a plethora of short stints across the league, as he bounced on and off of teams’ practice squads. In 2018, he played in a single game for the Colts; that was also the case one year later in Jacksonville. It wasn’t until he signed with the Titans (for the second time in his career) in 2020 that he began playing on a full-time basis.
The Boise State alum averaged 4.3 yards per carry that season, totalling 204 rushing yards. His play earned him a spot on Tennessee’s roster again this past campaign, which saw him put up better numbers. Seeing a larger workload after the injury suffered by Derrick Henry, McNichols became a factor in the passing game, posting 240 receiving yards. Not long after suffering a concussion, however, he was waived.
In Atlanta, McNichols will look to again prove himself as a viable contributor at the end of the roster. Much of the team’s offense will be centered on Cordarrelle Patterson, of course, and the Falcons added Damien Williams earlier in free agency. Still, after the release of Mike Davis, McNichols will have the chance to compete for the No. 3 role.
Seems odd to leave Tyler Allgeier out of the conversation.
Atlanta is stocking up on running backs. It seems odd to release Mike Davis, only to sign several other veterans, especially if Cordarelle Patterson is supposed to be a receiver primarily once again, as previously stated.
I think what Davis flashed in Carolina is an outlier in his career. He looked awful last year.
Fair, but so did every back not named Patterson. Davis played well in Chicago, I’m not sure that these new signings are necessarily upgrades, and Atlanta has apparently taken the best back on their roster out of the conversation at the position. Just seems odd to me.
That makes sense. All the more reason it’s odd not to mention Allgeier. You have to think they’re hoping he can be the guy after Patterson.
I can agree with that. I don’t know much about Allgeier specifically, but he’s still on his rookie deal. A fifth round pick isn’t exactly high, but it’s enough to warrant a decent look, especially combined with the fact he’s still young.