Freddie Falcon
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- Mar 16, 2019
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The Falcons are paying running back Todd Gurley $5.5 million this season. The Falcons are also paying running back Brian Hill $2.1 million this season. But neither one of them is the team’s top running back.
That distinction belongs to Ito Smith, who makes just $750,000.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris confirmed today that Smith is the lead back going forward. That comes a day after Smith carried six times for 24 yards against the Buccaneers, while Gurley and Hill had a combined six carries for minus-3 yards.
Morris made clear that all three running backs are healthy enough to play, and the decision is a result entirely of performance. Smith will get the bulk of the carries because Smith is the best running back on the team.
And that’s a good reminder of how often running backs who get paid prove not to be worth the money. More than any other position, running backs found late in the draft, or on the waiver wire, can out-perform running backs who cost a lot of money. The Falcons would have been wise saving the salary cap space they spent on Gurley and Hill, and spending it on someone who could block for Smith.