FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - Bijan Robinson has reached the point where the offseason work is no longer enough. He’s spent months sharpening the details, letting the game slow down, and now the Atlanta Falcons running back is eager to see it all happen for real when Week 1 brings the Pittsburgh Steelers to town.
After a full offseason of preparation and a preseason spent on the sideline, Robinson is set for his fourth NFL season with a clear sense that this opener is more than just the first game on the calendar. For Atlanta, it’s a chance to show what a revamped rushing attack can look like. For Robinson, it’s the moment to finally turn the practice version into the live one.
“Now it’s time to go put it on and go have fun doing it,” Robinson said.
The Steelers are not offering a soft landing. Robinson pointed directly to linebacker Patrick Queen as a player he respects and a central part of a defense that has long made life difficult on opposing offenses.
“I respect Patrick Queen a lot,” Robinson said. “I can’t wait to, you know, go up against him.”
What Robinson is bringing into this season goes beyond the burst and balance everyone already knows about. He says his biggest growth has come in how he processes the game before the snap, reading defenses faster and recognizing what’s coming before the play unfolds.
“That first year, I was trying to let the game slow down for me,” Robinson said. “And then the second, third year, like, that’s what I’m trying to elevate into - reading all the coverages, reading first, second-level reads, in a running pass game.”
One of the biggest pieces of that evolution has been tracking the defense’s “free hitter” before the play even starts.
“It completely slowed the game down for me because I know every single play where the guy I got to make this or the guy I got to break a tackle on,” Robinson said. “I’ll read that before he even starts.”
That kind of pre-snap clarity could matter against a Pittsburgh defense that thrives on pressure and disruption.
Atlanta has also tried to strengthen the ground game around him. The addition of veteran offensive line coach Bill Callahan has already stood out to Robinson, who says the experience in the room has brought new lessons.
“Obviously Bill is the legend, and it’s cool learning from him because I’ve learned so many things that I haven’t even thought of,” Robinson said.
Robinson said Callahan’s background with running backs and run-game development gives him another valuable voice as he keeps building.
“He’s had so many great running backs,” Robinson said. “He gets so many great run games, so many great experiences with the O-line.”
The bigger aim, though, is team-wide. Robinson made it clear the Falcons want the rushing attack to set the tone and make things easier for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
“That’s the standard here. That’s the standard that we set here,” Robinson said.
After months of practice reps and watching from the sideline in the preseason, Robinson is ready for the shift from rehearsal to reality.
“I’m like anxious now because we ran it so long in practice now, and I just wanted to go out there in the game and put it to life,” Robinson said.
In Other News...
Falcons Suddenly Have A Tua Concern They Cant Ignore
A brief scare at practice put Tua Tagovailoa back in the spotlight for the Falcons on Wednesday, as the newly named starter appeared to feel discomfort and went to the ground during the session. The issue seemed tied to the back trouble he dealt with earlier in training camp, and he did not throw again during the media portion of practice.
For Atlanta, the timing is what makes it worth watching. Tagovailoa only recently won the starting job, with Cooper Rush and rookie Jack Strand behind him on the depth chart, so any interruption in his workload immediately raises the stakes for a team trying to settle its quarterback picture. His status is expected to be clarified in the next injury report, but for now the Falcons are left waiting to see how serious this latest concern might be. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Week 1 Plan Suddenly Rests On A New Quarterback Decision
Cooper Rush did not arrive in Atlanta long ago, but he is already in the middle of the Falcons most important early-season conversation. Signed in late July, Rush took first-team reps in practice after Tua Tagovailoa was slowed by an oblique injury, a development that immediately put the quarterback picture for Week 1 into focus. With a new offense being installed under coordinator Tommy Rees, every snap matters even more as the Falcons try to get the operation steady before facing the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rush has been part of that process in a way the coaching staff clearly values, drawing praise for his consistency and communication during practice. If Tagovailoa cannot go, Rush is prepared to handle the opening assignment, which would turn a late-summer roster move into a far bigger early-season responsibility. For a team trying to settle into a new system, the next few practices will say plenty about how quickly the Falcons can get comfortable under center. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Opener Just Got A Big Joey Porter Jr. Wrinkle
The Falcons Week 1 prep has picked up an extra layer of uncertainty with Joey Porter Jr. still working his way back from a back issue. Pittsburgh coach Mike McCarthy would not say whether the cornerback needs to complete a full practice before being cleared for the matchup in Atlanta, and Porter has only been able to work in a limited capacity while he remains in a ramp-up stage.
There is also the longer-term backdrop of Porters contract situation, which remains open with the Steelers but is not close to being resolved. Pittsburgh has a policy of not negotiating extensions once the regular season starts, so the focus for now is on how quickly Porter can build up to game readiness before the opener, even if the timetable is still not fully clear. [Read more 🡒]