ESPN: Falcons may want to keep RB Tevin Coleman past 2018 season

As the NFL trade deadline approaches, Atlanta Falcons fans near and far will wonder if the team could potentially see RB Tevin Coleman head elsewhere by Oct. 30.

It’d be a big move for a team that usually stands pat around this time of year, though some would argue it’d be smart while teams are desperate for a spark to get them playoff-ready and willing to trade a bit more than usual.

Though ESPN’s Vaughn McClure mentions Coleman as a hypothetical trade target, he hints that the team might not want to send him off now, or see him leave in March.

Problem is, [Devonta] Freeman underwent groin surgery and has dealt with a variety of injuries, so the Falcons probably want to do whatever they can to keep Coleman now.

It’s more of an educated guess than a confirmation, but McClure’s educated guesses have led to reality more than once.

This reminds me of the time we all thought CB Robert Alford was destined to head elsewhere with Desmond Trufant firmly entrenched in the roster and due a big bonus. Though, the team actually extended Alford first before getting Tru’s deal done.

The Falcons love to keep their guys, and it would be of no surprise, considering Devonta Freeman and his health struggles of late. That’s not to say Freeman’s gone, either, but the team might just want to keep that investment at the running back spot to keep this offense going as it has for so long. The emergence of Ito Smith could even tempt the team to wish to trot out the best running back group in the NFL, similar to what they have at receiver.

Coleman is a good player, even if he needs a bit more assistance from the OL to really get going on his downhill runs. He’s as dangerous a receiver as he is a runner, too.

We need to prepare for the distinct possibility the team is going to try to keep him around. Obviously, the worries there are more fiscal than football, but the team’s made those fiscal worries disappear in the past with doing dual-extensions at a loaded spot on the roster.

Coleman might be a Falcon yet going past the 2018 season.