5 bold predictions for Atlanta Falcons in 2020

1. Todd Gurley will soak up 200 carries

Freeman may not have been great for the Falcons last season, but he still carried the ball 184 times. Gurley is the only running back Atlanta has brought in to replace him this offseason. It’s obvious he is going to get a significant amount of work in 2020.

It’s also important to note that he’s only on a one-year deal with the Falcons. They aren’t going to monitor his workload with the same diligence that the Rams did in previous seasons. Atlanta’s coaching staff is going to give Gurley all of the work his body can handle.

If he can show some of the explosion that made him a star in Los Angeles, he should fend off Brian Hill for the majority of the offensive workload. That should allow him to get slightly more carries than Freeman did in 2019. It’s easy to see how Gurley could be in line for a lot of carries if his body holds up.

The interesting thing will be to see how Atlanta uses him in the passing game. The biggest risk to him getting 200 touches on the ground is that he’s asked to do too much through the air. Either way, look for Gurley to get more touches than the experts think this season.