It didn’t take long for the running back competition to heat up.
On the second day of Falcons’ training camp, rookie running back Tevin Coleman, a third-round pick from Indiana, received some reps with the first-team offense.
“Early, we actually want to play guys with the first-team,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said Saturday. “Not just the running backs and the receivers. That’s our chance to evaluate the guys going against (the first-team defense). Can you handle it? It’s really by design how we are putting guys into that mix.”
The Falcons appear set to choose between Devonta Freeman, a fourth-round pick in 2014, and Coleman. Antone Smith, Terron Ward and Jerome Smith are also in camp as running backs.
Freeman, who played 237 snaps as a rookie last season, is the front-runner. But Coleman, who became the 18th player in FBS history to rush for more than 2,000 yards last season when he ran for 2,036 for the Hoosiers, is a strong contender.
“My expectation is to get the starting job and go from there,” Coleman said. “I’m competing every day.”
Quinn has stressed competition at every position.
“Definitely, that’s always his word, competition and everybody just fighting,” Coleman said. “Getting the team better, getting everybody else better. Competition is big.”
Freeman took the majority of the snaps and embraces the competition.
“It just keeps you grounded,” Freeman said. “Keeps you motivated. I really don’t care. If I was the three, I’d still go as hard as the one. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Freeman showed flashes in the run game and out of the backfield catching passes last season. He played in all 16 games and rushed for 248 yards on 65 carries (3.8 yards per carry) and caught 30 passes for 235 yards. He scored a touchdown rush and one receiving.
Coleman (5-foot-11 and 210 pounds) is a bit bigger than Freeman (5-8, 206).
The Falcons liked Coleman’s ability to break long runs. At Indiana, half of his 28 career rushing touchdowns were of 43 yards or more and eight were for 64 yards or more.
Even though he wants to start, Coleman acknowledges that he’s still trying to pick up the intricacies of the offense.
“It’s slowed down just a little bit,” Coleman said. “It feels like I’m a freshmen again (in college). I’m going to have to work my way back up.”
Coleman ran some plays out of the outside zone system at Indiana. “Those plays can open up a lot of big runs,” he said.
The Falcons are determined to improve their rushing attack in the outside-zone blocking scheme that’s being installed by new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. The Falcons ranked 24th in the NFL in rushing last season.
“In the first meeting we told them ‘you’re going to play,’” Quinn said. “Part of this system is to show that you can do it. I love that part of it, too. For the guys who like to get up and have that challenge.”
Coleman passed his first test with ease.
“He looked totally natural doing that,” Quinn said.
Falcons running backs coach Bobby Turner will oversee the competition.
“I’m really pleased with how Bobby has taken to him and to Devonta in developing these guys,” Quinn said. “They are getting tighter which is going to be important for us.”
Shanahan has had success installing his rushing attack in Houston, Washington and Cleveland. When he was in Cleveland, his offense gained 475 yards against the Falcons last season.
“The more we keep working this zone scheme, it’s kind of like one of those things, its rep after rep after rep,” Quinn said. “We don’t have so much volume in our run game, but the things that we do, we just want to nail it.”
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