Why Bijan Robinson Is Excited to Have Kevin Stefanski As Falcons’ New Coach

The Falcons are under new leadership after tabbing Kevin Stefanski as their next head coach last month.

Stefanski comes to Atlanta after coaching the Browns for the last six years, where he led Cleveland to the playoffs twice but also went 8-26 over the past two seasons. He’ll now be tasked with figuring out how to best utilize a talented roster featuring players like Drake London and Bijan Robinson—which was one of the main appeals of taking the Falcons’ opening.

Robinson, who is coming off a career-high 1,478-yard rushing season, is excited to see Stefanski take over as the franchise’s new coach.

“I thought he was just a great hire because he’s such an offensive-minded guy and I love offensive-minded guys and learning from them and learning how they operate and learning how they can control the team,” Robinson told Sports Illustrated. “I just think his leadership is really big and I love how when I got to talk him, just talking about his vision and his plan for the team and what he wants to see happen in the future of this team. … I really just can’t wait to get to work with him.”

More: Bijan Robinson: The NFL's Deadliest Smile

Unsurprisingly, the feeling is mutual, as Stefanski now gets to work with one of the best backs in the league.

“I love Bijan, I spent some time with him when I first got hired,” Stefanski said at his introductory press conference. “... He's team-oriented. He's an intelligent player. And there's no shortage of what he can do with the football in his hands and that’s our job as coaches to find ways to get that ball in his hands.”

Stefanski will look to continue building off the success Robinson has already achieved across his first three seasons and help lead him and Atlanta back to the postseason for the first time since 2017.

More: Bijan Robinson: The NFL's Deadliest Smile

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