Falcons Move on Qadree Ollison; Can That Help Cordarrelle Patterson Beat Saints?

The Atlanta Falcons announced Saturday afternoon they have elevated running back Qadree Ollison and defensive lineman Anthony Rush as standard practice squad flexes. The team also downgraded offensive lineman Josh Andrews to out against the New Orleans Saints in Week 9.

That news story is here, and as fans know: Under NFL rules, teams are allowed to bring up two players from their practice squad each week. But after a team has elevated a player from the practice squad twice, they must sign them to the active roster or release them.

This past week, the Falcons signed linebackers James Vaughters and Daren Bates after elevating them twice from the practice squad.

But there could be something more significant in one of the moves.

Ollison has been battling for playing time in Atlanta for more than two years. He has appeared in eight games for the Falcons, recording 23 rushes and 53 rushing yards. In 2019, Ollison scored four rushing touchdowns.

Having Ollison on the active roster might indicate how coach Arthur Smith intends to use Cordarrelle Patterson on Sunday. In addition to Ollison and Patterson, the Falcons will also have Mike Davis and Wayne Gallman available for carries in the backfield.

Could Ollison up mean that Patterson, the multi-purpose weapon, lines up a bit more at wideout?

As Patterson said recently: "I feel like they are really embracing the guy I can be on the football field… I really love Atlanta, man."

And with his production, Atlanta, even at 3-4 entering the Sunday visit to New Orleans (GameDay here), loves him back.

Meanwhile, the Falcons are likely adding Rush to help against the run. Atlanta gave up 203 rushing yards against the Carolina Panthers last week.

Rushed played the first two weeks of the 2021 season with the Tennessee Titans. He played 16 defensive snaps and didn't record a statistic.

As the team indicated in its tweet, Andrews will not travel to New Orleans because of family reasons. Hopefully, it's not too serious.

Andrews has played six snaps on special teams this season and none on offense.