Tyrann Mathieu takes a lot of pride in playing for his hometown New Orleans Saints, but he knows a quality rival when he sees one. And he’s eager to compete against Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson. Mathieu pointed to the second-year pro during a recent appearance on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast when taking stock of his opponents in the NFC South.
And Mathieu offered some lofty comparisons for Robinson and his unique skill set: “Man, he’s going to be special. Marshall Faulk, you know, Edgerrin James, you know what I mean? Like, LaDainian Tomlinson, you know? And I didn’t think the Falcons really used him as good as they should have last year, but, man, he’s going to be good. He’s going to be real good.”
Robinson proved to be a dangerous dual-threat running back in 2023. He ran 214 times for 976 rushing yards, scoring 4 touchdown runs, while being targeted 86 times as a receiver; he caught 58 passes for another 487 receiving yards and 4 more touchdown receptions. He’s one of five rookie running backs to have 900-plus rushing yards and 400-plus receiving yards as a rookie since 2010, and one of 16 to do so in the history of pro football. Mathieu knows his history — James (1999) and Faulk (1994) are both in that group. Tomlinson (2001) was 33 receiving yards shy of joining them.
Mathieu’s Saints have gone 3-1 against the Falcons in his two years on the team, and they were a foolish Derek Carr pick-six in scoring position from beating them in Atlanta last year. But he sees Robinson as someone who could be a problem in the years ahead.
Robinson broke out with his first multi-touchdown game as a rookie against the Saints in Week 11, scoring a 10-yard run and a 26-yard reception while totaling 123 yards from scrimmage. Mathieu and his teammates did a better job limiting his gains on the ground in the Week 18 rematch (Robinson ran 11 times for just 28 yards) but he took an early grab-and-go pass out of the backfield 71 yards for a touchdown. They adjusted, though, and he finished with 32 yards on his other 6 catches.
Don’t expect first-year Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson to make it as easy for them by splitting Robinson’s touches with other players. As Mathieu alluded to, former Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith was widely criticized for playing veterans like Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson ahead of the running back they drafted 8th overall. The Falcons are excited to have Kirk Cousins at quarterback after a couple of years in the desert, but they’ll be counting on Robinson to shoulder a heavy load in 2024.
