The Falcons Are One Injury Away From Turning Olamide Zaccheaus Into a 1940s Ironman
Adam Schefter reported that Zaccheaus' role doesn't stop at emergency QB, as he will also be the team's emergency third-string running back.
The are walking into Pittsburgh today with an offensive depth chart that looks like it was drafted out of a hat. With Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. both inactive, Cooper Rush is getting the start under center.
Backing up Rush is undrafted free agent Jack Strand, which is already a terrifying proposition against a notoriously physical Steelers defense. But the real punchline here is wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, who has officially become the ultimate break-in-case-of-emergency glass box for Atlanta.
According to Adam Schefter, Zaccheaus is not only the emergency third-string quarterback today, but he is also the emergency third-string running back. The somehow only dressed two actual running backs for this game in Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson.
If you are holding an Atlanta moneyline ticket, you are essentially praying for perfect health. One bad hit on Rush and a rolled ankle for Bijan, and suddenly a 5-foot-8 wide receiver is running the entire offense like it is a 1940s leather-helmet game.
Going into a hostile road environment with a backup quarterback, a rookie undrafted backup, and a wide receiver playing two different emergency roles is a recipe for absolute chaos. It is the kind of roster management that makes you wonder if the team bus left half the practice squad at a rest stop.
We will see if Atlanta can survive this war of attrition without having to actually deploy Zaccheaus in the backfield. If they do, the postgame press conference is going to be a fascinating exercise in explaining how an NFL roster gets stretched this thin in September.