Atlanta Falcons fans and fantasy owners alike have been disappointed with rookie running back Bijan Robinson’s amount of touches, particularly in the red zone. The most talented player on the offense is not the eighth-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
On Wednesday, Falcons coach Arthur Smith spoke out about Robinson’s red zone touches and overall role in the game plan. Listen to this five-minute monologue.
First and foremost, Arthur Smith’s body language is deplorable. He’s mumbling, not speaking clearly, and is completely inarticulate.
He notes that the team has scored touchdowns on 14 of 28 red zone possessions, which is poor. This puts them in a tie for 19th place in the league. Consider the talented players in that offense who should be good in the red zone, such as Robinson, wide receiver Drake London, and tight end Kyle Pitts.
Robinson’s usage is simply not acceptable. He’s one of the best running back prospects in the last decade, good enough for the Falcons to select him in the top ten in an era when the position is underappreciated. And, after eight games (Robinson has played in all nine, but only saw a few snaps against the Buccaneers in week 7), he’s averaging just 18.7 touches per game. Robinson has only had one game with more than 14 carries, and Tyler Allgeier is getting the majority of goal line touches. Robinson has only one rushing touchdown, whereas Allgeier has three. Neither of those numbers is particularly impressive, but there’s no reason why Tyler Allgeier should be getting more goal line touches than Bijan.
Even so, the Falcons are still in the hunt for a playoff spot in the NFC South, despite their 4-5 record. However, they will need to improve in the red zone, and in order to do so, they will need to feed Bijan.
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