Falcons Coach Zac Robinson Excited for RB Bijan Robinson's Role in Offense

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson hasn't been shy in setting expectations for his second professional campaign.

The trend started during Super Bowl week, when Robinson said he was eyeing 2,000 rushing yards. It continued Monday, when last year's No. 8 overall pick noted he plans on being used similarly to how the San Francisco 49ers deploy star running back Christian McCaffrey.

Last season, McCaffrey averaged 4.2 receptions per game in San Francisco. Robinson wasn't far behind, hauling in 3.4 passes per contest, but he saw four fewer carries per game than McCaffrey and ended the year with 560 less yards despite playing an extra game.

There were glimpses of similarities in their roles, but Robinson's workload wasn't as extensive - though McCaffrey led the league in touches with 339, some 67 more than Robinson.

Robinson plans on sharing more resemblances to McCaffrey's usage in 2024. Perhaps more importantly, so does Falcons offensive coordinator and play-caller Zac Robinson.

"Bijan is such a talented player," Zac Robinson said Wednesday afternoon in Flowery Branch. "He's going to play running back, first and foremost. And then any way we can find creative ways to get him the ball like the Niners do with Christian McCaffrey is exactly right."

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The two Robinsons speak nearly every day about a variety of avenues that lead toward Bijan seeing more touches, be it through route concepts, how best to get open on specific plays and how to use the scheme to manipulate linebackers and defensive backs.

For Zac Robinson, who is in his first season as Atlanta's offensive coordinator after spending the past two years as the Los Angeles Rams' quarterbacks coach, finding the balance between using Bijan Robinson as a runner while also incorporating him into the pass game is one of the most important points of emphasis he'll face.

It's a process both feel confident in - but one Zac Robinson says is far from complete.

"Continuing to tailor and tweak things and find creative ways to get him the football," Robinson said. "Not just in the dot or in the offset gun running the football, but using his receiver skills without overloading him too much."

Former Falcons head coach and offensive play-caller Arthur Smith spoke extensively last season about playing positionless football, or the idea of being able to move skill players to a variety of spots.

Zac Robinson plans on operating a similar idea in 2024, noting he wants each weapon to be able to line up in every spot. Bijan Robinson is one of the biggest beneficiaries of this idea, eyeing his first 1,000-yard season as a runner and 500-yard campaign as a pass catcher.

And while the season is still three months away, this much appears clear: Atlanta's new-look offense is expected to provide its second-year star a chance to reach those marks in emphatic fashion.

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