The addition of Bijan Robinson to the Falcons backfield is expected to boost what was already a productive rushing attack in 2022. It is also likely to yield a change in Atlanta’s deployment of some of their running backs, however.
The Falcons are planning to use Robinson, this year’s No. 8 pick, in a role not exclusively involving snaps from the backfield, as head coach Arthur Smith indicated via ESPN’s Michael Rothstein. The highly-touted back spent time in various alignments during OTAs and minicamp, pointing to a heavy usage as a pass-catcher being in the cards during his rookie season.
Robinson emerged as one of the most celebrated RB prospects in recent memory during his college career at Texas. He posted 1,894 scrimmage yards and 20 total touchdowns during his final campaign, earning him the Doak Walker award as the country’s top running back along with a unanimous All-American nod. He was widely expected to be a Day 1 selection, but going inside the top 10 will no doubt elevate expectations for him right away on a Falcons offense which features a number of dual-threat skill players.
One of those is veteran Cordarrelle Patterson. The 32-year-old made an impact on the ground, in the air and on special teams with 1,609 all-purpose yards in 2021, his first season in Atlanta. His role shifted more towards that of a typical running back last season, though, as he shared rushing duties with Tyler Allgeier in the team’s ground-heavy offense. That setup worked in terms of run production, but a return to his previous alignment can be expected for Patterson.
The latter, along with Smith, is eyeing a larger involvement in the passing game with Robinson and Allgeier in place as rushing options, team reporter Tori McElhaney notes. Patterson has been effective in a Swiss Army knife role previously, earning considerable acclaim for his work as a returner. Being deployed more as a receiver would add to the Falcons’ pass-catching options, a group which includes recent first-rounders Kyle Pitts and Drake London but will be required to take a step forward in production in 2023.
How Atlanta uses their trio of Robinson, Patterson and Allgeier will be interesting to monitor through training camp and into the regular season as the team turns to Desmond Ridder at quarterback for a full campaign. Multiple looks for the former two should be a staple of the team’s offense as they look to maximize their shared potential.
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