Falcons re-sign RB Qadree Ollison

Qadree Ollison’s story in Atlanta has consistently been one of opportunity, or lack thereof. When given the chance, Ollison’s had some fine efforts and has shown he can be a bulldozer in short yardage situations at times. Those chances have just been few and far between.

Ollison will be hoping that changes in 2022, as he’s re-joined the Falcons on a one-year deal, per the team.

Entering his age 26 season, Ollison will be competing for touches with several other players after a year where he averaged 5 yards per carry on 21 totes, scoring a touchdown along the way. One of the most frequently praised players by the coaching staff during the summer months, Ollison was somewhat surprisingly cut and added to the practice squad in early September, finally getting a call up to the active roster in December. Minus one costly fumble, he fared pretty well in very limited action, and the Falcons will bring him back with an eye on having him once again push for a role and deliver some useful carries along the way.

Given that he’s young and has limited wear-and-tear to this point, Ollison’s a smart re-signing, especially if the team doesn’t plan to draft another back. Remember that the top three backs on the depth chart today are all 30 or older, making him at worst quality insurance in case injury strikes.

It will be worth watching to see what happens with Mike Davis now. With Cordarrelle Patterson back in the fold, Damien Williams added to the running back group and 2021 undrafted free agent Caleb Huntley still around, the team is likely either going to give Patterson a lot more run at receiver or consider moving on from Davis to free up the logjam a bit here. That does assume, of course, that Ollison is going to get a larger opportunity, which I guess we should stop assuming at this point.

Regardless, we’re glad to see Ollison back in Atlanta, and hopefully he’ll find his way to a larger opportunity in 2022.