Falcons sign former Pro Bowl running back Fred Taylor’s son Kelvin

The competition for the third running back gig was already pretty heated, and now the Falcons have thrown some fuel on the fire. They’ve added Kelvin Taylor, a 2016 sixth round selection by the 49ers, and intriguingly the 23-year-old son of former Jaguars stud Fred Taylor.

Taylor has bounced around a lot in his short career, with stints with the 49ers, Seahawks, and Chiefs already under his belt, and he’s amassed exactly zero regular season carries. He got more run in college at Florida, where he averaged close to five yards per carry and showed a little bit of the potency and agility that defined his father’s stellar 11 year career.

Taylor’s chances of beating out the likes of Hill, a 2017 fifth rounder, and Ward, who has spent two full seasons with the Falcons, are probably pretty slim. Still, he’s an interesting player, and more competition is never a bad thing when you’re trying to ensure you’ve got the best possible insurance policy for Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. Taylor should get some carries Thursday night against the Dolphins, and we’ll see what happens from there.

Welcome aboard, Kelvin Taylor!