Surprise Name Among Falcons Inactives for Saints

Drake London is active for the Atlanta Falcons contest against the New Orleans Saints, but there’s a surprise name among the inactives for Atlanta.

Rookie running back Tyler Allgeier is listed among the inactives for the Atlanta Falcons. Allgeier was a fifth-round pick out of BYU and a darkhorse for the top running back spot heading into the season.

Allgeier played in each of Atlanta’s preseason games and rushed 17 times for 68 yards.

Allgeier is joined by fellow rookie, edge Deangelo Malone, wide receiver Damiere Byrd, linebacker Nick Kwiatowski, and offensive lineman Chuma Edoga on the Falcons inactive list.

That London is active is good news for the Falcons. The eighth-overall pick in last year’s draft is being counted on heavily to alleviate the pressure on second-year tight end Kyle Pitts.

London was limited in practice this week, and it remains to be seen how much he’ll play, but it’s doubtful head coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot would risk their prized rookie if there was more than the usual risk of playing.

That Allgeier is inactive speaks volumes on how the staff feels about free agent-signing Damien Williams at running back. Williams was held out of most preseason action as a key contributor despite never having rushed for more than 500 yards in his seven-NFL seasons.

Cordarrelle Patterson was rested the entire preseason and should see the ball a lot in Arthur Smith’s offense with Williams playing the Mike Davis role from last season.

The Falcons are a 5.5-point home underdog to the Saints. They kick off at 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.