Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson isn’t shying away from placing some lofty expectations on himself heading into the 2024 season.
Robinson, the 2023 No. 8 overall pick out of Texas, racked up 976 yards rushing and 487 yards receiving in his rookie campaign. The 22-year-old not only wants to outdo himself this season but accomplish something last done by Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry in 2020: Rush for 2,000 yards in a single season.
“I want 2,000 yards rushing,” Robinson told Sports Illustrated ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. “Know those are big expectations, what we can do as an offense, with all the weapons, our O-line, with [new offensive coordinator] Zac [Robinson] being at the helm, it can be something special. I think it’s going to be one of those special seasons that Atlanta’s been waiting for us and all of us as players have been waiting for. So, let’s get it.”
Robinson was Atlanta’s Swiss-Army knife as in addition to leading the team in rushing, he finished second in receptions (58) and receiving touchdowns (four). He fell just short of notching 1,000 yards on the ground, though he split carries with second-year tailback Tyler Allgeier. Robinson averaged 4.6 yards per carry on 214 carries, while Allgeier picked up 3.7 yards per carry on 186 attempts.
Bijan Robinson holding himself to high standards
He finished fifth in AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, placing behind Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua, Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta and Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
He admitted that he doesn’t consider a 1,400-yard season a “great season” for him, citing high expectations for himself.
“Yeah, I had 1,400 yards, but for me, I have such high expectations, that’s not a great season,” Robinson said. “From the expectations people have from me, I could see them looking at that season like, ‘That may be great somewhere else but that shouldn’t be the standard for me.'”
One particular area of growth for Robinson is ball security. Robinson led all running backs with four fumbles this past season. Falcons running back Michael Pitre said he’s working with Robinson on reducing his fumbles going forward.
“Making sure we’re doing a better job taking care of the football and not putting ourselves in a bad situation as a football team by being careless with the football,” Pitre said.
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