The Atlanta Falcons already built much of their offense around Bijan Robinson. Apparently, the new coaching staff still doesn’t think they’ve come close to using him the way they want.
That could change Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers.
Robinson enters Week 3 with 254 yards from scrimmage through two games, but NFL insider James Palmer reported Atlanta has a much bigger plan for its highest-paid offensive weapon, particularly when it comes to using him as both a running back and receiver.
Falcons Plan Bigger Bijan Robinson Role vs. Packers
Palmer shared several Falcons notes before Thursday Night Football and pointed directly to Robinson as one of the players Atlanta wants to feature differently.
“This new staff with the Falcons feel they haven’t even been close to how they want to use Bijan Robinson as a RB and WR,” Palmer wrote. “That starts today.”
That’s notable considering Robinson has already handled 48 offensive touches through Atlanta’s first two games.
He opened the season against Pittsburgh with 21 carries for 83 yards and added eight catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. A week later against Carolina, Robinson ran 16 times for 72 yards but was held to three receptions for nine yards as Atlanta’s offense collapsed in a 34-3 loss.
Through two games, Robinson has 37 carries for 155 yards and 11 receptions for 99 yards.
The numbers show he has been heavily involved. Palmer’s report suggests Kevin Stefanski’s staff believes involvement and usage are two different things.
Atlanta’s offense has lacked explosive consistency during its 0-2 start, and Michael Penix Jr.’s return to the lineup gives the Falcons another reason to expand what they ask Robinson to do.
“There’s been some energy in the Falcons building this week with the return of Penix. I was told you can feel it,” Palmer reported.
Bijan Robinson Already Proved He Can Be Receiver
There is plenty of evidence for Atlanta to lean into Robinson’s receiving ability.
Last season, he caught 79 passes for 820 yards and four touchdowns, all career highs. Those numbers came in addition to 1,478 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, giving Robinson 2,298 yards from scrimmage in his third NFL season.
The Falcons then made one of their biggest financial commitments of the offseason.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Robinson’s three-year extension carried a base value of $66.75 million with $51 million guaranteed, including $37 million at signing. The $22.25 million annual average made Robinson the NFL’s highest-paid running back on a non-rookie contract at the time of the deal.
Stefanski spent the summer talking about what Robinson can do beyond simply taking handoffs.
AtlantaFalcons.com’s Will McFadden quoted Stefanski explaining how Robinson can turn blocked or poorly blocked plays into something productive because of his ability to make defenders miss in space.
That ability becomes even more dangerous when Robinson isn’t lined up where a defense expects a traditional running back to be.
Atlanta has Drake London, Kyle Pitts and a young Zachariah Branch in the passing game, but Robinson remains one of the offense’s most difficult matchup problems. He has already topped 2,100 yards from scrimmage in consecutive seasons, so the Falcons aren’t trying to manufacture production from an unproven player.
Palmer’s report indicates the Falcons want to force defenses to deal with that problem in more ways than they’ve shown so far.
For an offense that hasn’t found its identity yet, the answer may be putting Robinson almost everywhere.
Falcons Reveal Major Bijan Robinson Change Starting vs. Packers