The Atlanta Falcons’ running back room has been in an excellent spot since drafting Bijan Robinson with the eighth overall selection in the 2023 NFL draft. The Bijan selection came on the heels of a promising rookie campaign from the man who plays second fiddle to the team’s biggest star, Tyler Allgeier.
Allgeier put together a one thousand yard rookie season in 2022, outpacing the fifth round selection the Falcons’ used on him that April. Now he is stuck behind a generational talent and Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobelski says it’s time to move on from one of the two young backs.
“Bijan Robinson is the present and future of the Falcons’ ground game,” Sobelski writes. “After the 2025 campaign, the 23-year-old will become eligible for an extension. Meanwhile, Allgeier is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Allgeier has no incentive to sign an extension with the Falcons since he could go elsewhere and potentially become a starting option. His workhorse ability is being wasted behind Robinson.”
Sobelski goes on to cite the sixth round selection of Alabama’s Jase McClellan as another reason why the team should feel comfortable making the move.
“The Falcons should be fishing for a Day 2 draft pick from a team that needs a lead back,” Sobelski concludes. “They would have earned a profit on Allgeier, and they’d build up next year’s draft capital after trading away their 2026 first-round pick to move up for edge-rusher James Pearce Jr.”
Can Robinson Sustain Without Allgeier
There has been serious statistic regression in Allgeier’s game, that is a given. With Robinson receiving top end touches, the running back two role was diminished, but not forgotten. The room accounted for 2,132 rushing yards in 2024, the third straight season the Dirty Birds eclipsed the 2,000 rushing yard mark. This was good enough for a top ten rushing attack in the league, and more importantly, it kept Bijan fresh.
“Robinson had 365 touches, which ranked second in the league behind Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley,” wrote Amna Subhan for the Atlanta Falcons. “Robinson didn’t miss a game and hardly appeared on the injury report, but it’s important that the Falcons still manage him while he’s early in his career.”
For more on how the team would manage the young star’s workload, Subhan got a quote from the team’s general manager after the end of last season.
“We’ve already had those discussions of what his offseason looks like and how we manage him through the offseason, so he’s continuing to develop, but also, we’re taking care of him,” general manager Terry Fontenot said. “The way he takes care of his body is exceptional. He’s just a special player, but an even better young man. That’s something we’re going to have to always continue to look at.”
A Team That Might Be Interested In A Back
The talk of the offseason for the Chicago Bears centered around building a run game for Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. Waiting till the seventh round to address the positional need did not ease the minds of a concerned fan base. Now, in an article published earlier this month, CBS Sports ranked the Bears backfield in the lowest tier in the league.
“In Chicago, the Bears were tied for the third-lowest yards-per-carry average in the NFL last season,” Tyler Sullivan wrote. “They also recorded the eighth-fewest total rushing yards. D’Andre Swift took the vast majority of the carries, finishing the year with 253 rushing attempts. However, he averaged just 3.8 yards per carry.”
After an offseason of big splashes, an upgrade in the running back room might be the cherry on top for a new look Chicago offense.
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