Bijan Robinson's rookie campaign was a rollercoaster with extreme highs and deep lows.
At times, the Atlanta Falcons' previous brass didn't seem to milk all they could out of the dynamic running back. With Zac Robinson, who spent the past five years working under Sean McVay in Los Angeles, taking over the offense under Raheem Morris, the hope is the Falcons saddle Robinson more.
On Monday, Bijan spoke glowingly of the diversity of the Falcons' new rushing game, noting there are a "lot of different options" they can use to attack defenses. The second-year back thinks he can be used similarly to how the San Francisco 49ers utilize Christian McCaffrey.
"Yeah, so I'm going to be more of a runner that does everything else," he said, . "Like not as much, I don't know what the plan is, but it's like runner first, like I did in college, and then still having that access to go to receivers, having that access to do creative things out of the backfield, more so like how they use Christian down there in San Francisco. Something like that. So that's kind of what their plan is here."
Comparing Robinson and CMC isn't a foolhardy endeavor. Both offer dual-threat ability and can hit the hole on the ground and turn a 5-yard gain into 16. But in Year 1, we didn't see Robinson get the type of workload McCaffrey has become accustomed to.
Last year, under then-coach Arthur Smith, Robinson averaged 12.6 carries per game, rushing for 976 yards with four touchdowns and adding 58 catches for 487 yards and four more scores. McCaffrey averaged 21.2 touches per game last season, including 17 carries per tilt on his way to Offensive Player of the Year honors.
If Zac Robinson's offense mimics McVay's, we'd expect him to lean on one primary back, particularly given Bijan's dual-threat ability. However, Tyler Allgeier is a talented complement who could siphon off some of those totes. That will be one storyline to track later this summer during training camp.
Staying healthy will be key if Robinson plans to play a CMC-type role. The back returned to OTAs this week after missing time with an ankle injury.
"I feel great," Robinson said. "I know that I had to continue to rehab it and just get comfortable being back to myself. But it's good. It's good to be back on the field with the guys."
