From running back to defensive back to both, Myles Hartsfield making NFL dreams come true

[Sir Purr]

So Hartsfield took a few handoffs and made a few cuts. In some ways, it was like riding a bike. The more he did it, the more familiar it felt.


As it turned out, Hartsfield could still play running back.


He started taking snaps in the defensive and offensive backfield during practice. He attended running back meetings for about a week during camp.


"I was a little fanboy at first. I was about to be in the same room with Christian McCaffrey , the same guy I was playing with and traded for in Madden last year," Hartsfield said.


But most of all, playing offense just seemed right.


"I was excited because I felt like going to college, I should've played running back. And I wanted to play running back," Hartsfield said. "But going to school as an athlete, and growing up with the parents I grew up with, you don't second guess what a coach is trying to tell you."


Hartsfield had days during camp where he'd intercept a pass on defense, then run in a touchdown on offense — sometimes in the same period. During one practice at Bank of America Stadium, Hartsfield dashed across the field with two equipment managers who helped him change from an offensive to defensive jersey.


"They were trying to rush because they were like, 'Myles, they want you in on the next play!' I couldn't even breathe," Hartsfield said with a laugh. "They were tightening the pads way too tight, and I'm going crazy. I was like, I need to calm down, take a deep breath."


"I was doing anything I could do — special teams, offense, defense. Whatever my role was going to be, I was going to do it to the best of my ability to make the team."