Falcons running back Bijan Robinson checks all the boxes of what an NFL rusher is supposed to be in the modern era: a player who can play the traditional role on the ground, block when called upon and catch passes out of the backfield.
Robinson has received praise for all three of these areas since his time at the University of Texas, and this trend has continued in Atlanta. But what the second-year running back stands for transcends beyond what he has accomplished on the field.
“He does everything,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. “I can’t say enough positive things about Bijan. Running the football, blocking, protection, catching the ball out of the backfield, scoring touchdowns, cheering for his guys, being locked and loaded, being a positive leader, an inspiration behind everything we do and what he does in our community.”
The culture Morris has instilled in Atlanta has been a huge part of the team’s success this season, and players like Robinson have embodied the standard he wishes to see within his team.
“He is the definition of what is a Falcon,” Morris said. “We talk about going to look for these people and our process of bringing them in here, you can just put a picture up of Bijan [Robinson] and say ‘that is it, at the highest level.'”
And it’s easy to see the comfort level quarterback Kirk Cousins has both in handing the ball off to Robinson and using him in the passing game. Cousins has consistently targeted Robinson out of the backfield and the results have been impressive.
“He’s a big deal,” Cousins said. “I want him to show up in the pass game, I want him to be able to check the ball down to him, I want to be able to put the ball in his hands… I see a running back as a running and I also see them as a receiver. Bijan [Robinson] has a lot of ability catching the football and I love when he shows up in our passing game too.”
Robinson finished Sunday’s 27-21 win over the Dallas Cowboys without a score, but his stat line didn’t tell the full story of just how big a role he played.
He led the team in rushing with 86 yards on 19 carries and finished as the second-leading receiver with 59 receiving yards on seven catches. Robinson recorded a career-high 26 touches in the game, adding to a long list of milestones.
Among the latest of those came in the 31-26 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he scored his first receiving touchdown of the season and put together three consecutive games in which he had scored at least one touchdown.
Expect Robinson to continue improving upon what he’s done in his second year in Atlanta as the Falcons face an incredibly shaky New Orleans Saints team on the road Sunday.
