With six days of training camp in the books for the Atlanta Falcons, there have been many positives that have happened. The team seems upbeat, the players seem excited about the season, and all is well in Flowery Branch. If only that were the case. Injuries have started to take over the headlines, especially with the top two running backs being sidelined by hamstring injuries. It has been reported that both Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman will be sidelined for 2-4 weeks.
The belief is that #Falcons RB Devonta Freeman’s hamstring injury isn’t serious. Still, two top RBs may be on the shelf a bit
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 6, 2015
While some might say the injuries aren’t serious, that is not the case. Hamstring injuries are some of the worst, especially in football, because they linger until they are fully healed. While the two players might say they feel healthy enough to play, the medical staff will tell them to wait until the hamstring has healed properly. Believe it or not, there is now a cause for concern for the Falcons.
With the number one and two running backs sidelined for most of training camp and the preseason, look for the Falcons to add another running back to the roster. Undrafted free agent Terran Ward has been impressive thus far, and he could possibly be the number one starter against the Titans in the first preseason game. Jerome Smith and Antone Smith will also get there fair share of carries with Coleman and Freeman out of the rotation for the next couple weeks.
With no veteran presence at the running back position, the whole core will need to find a way to overcome adversity without the two top dogs. It would have been nice to see Freeman and Coleman play some snaps during preseason, but I doubt they will see some, if any at all. Freeman has NFL experience, as he has played against NFL competition, but Coleman will be facing major adversity. As a rookie, he needs all the reps he can receive. Hopefully both running backs hamstrings’ will heal quickly and can come back in order to be ready against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1.