Saquon Barkley wants you to understand that he loves himself. He knows he’s a great cutter with the football in his hands.
But Bijan Robinson? According to Barkley, the young Falcons star takes it to a whole new level.
“There’s nobody that’s able to cut like Bijan in the NFL. You can go argue with your momma about that,” the Eagles superstar said of Robinson on the NFL Top 100 countdown. “It’s finna get scary for a lot of people as he continues to figure it out.”
Bijan Robinson’s cutting ability makes him a nightmare for opposing defenses. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
Last year, Barkley became the ninth player in league history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. Can Robinson be the 10th?
We can’t rule it out.
His ascension to elite status has been rapid, after all. In 2024, his second NFL season, Robinson finished second in the league in touches (365), third in rushing yards (1,456), fourth in scrimmage yards (1,887) and tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns (14). Oh, and he’s just 23 years old.
With an unproven quarterback in Michael Penix Jr., who started just three games last season as a rookie, and four returning full-time starters on the offensive line, Atlanta’s offense is expected to revolve around Robinson and his dynamic skill set.
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“Last year, I said 2,000 [scrimmage] yards. We were like 100 or something yards short,” Robinson said of his 2024 goal. “I want to hit 2,000 yards again. That’s always my goal. But it’s not for me. … I want all of us to celebrate that. I want the O-line to celebrate that. I want Tyler [Allgeier], everybody in the running back room [to celebrate that].”
To get there, Robinson’s biggest priority entering Year 3 is mastering the small details.
That includes stepping up as a leader and becoming more vocal at practice. Robinson is helping guide Atlanta’s first-round picks, edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. In the run game, he’s focused on his decisiveness and eye discipline. In the pass game, he’s worked on his releases, footwork and hand placement in pass protection. He’s placed a bigger emphasis on his recovery regimen, the importance of which he learned from training with 49ers star Christian McCaffrey this offseason.
Through June, Robinson had already watched film of the Falcons’ first 10 opponents this season.
“Because he has the ability that he has, and he is such a great player, we want to say, ‘OK, well, that’s the standard. How do we get better from that?’” Falcons running backs coach Michael Pitre said after Atlanta’s joint practices with the Titans last week. “And that’s hard. But again, that’s not anything I’m putting on him. That’s something that he wants. And that’s the part that makes it fun coaching a guy like him.
“In regards to the limitations on him, I think there are none.”
Pitre said Robinson wants “all the information that he can get.” And he’s now processing it better, too.
As a rookie, Robinson admitted that he was a deer in headlights. He was trying to learn so much and grasp so much while still playing at a high level. Two years later, the integration is more seamless. He understands every level of the defense. He’s anticipating everything before the ball is snapped.
Robinson sees himself making an exponential leap this season, similar to the jump he made between his sophomore and junior years at Texas.
“When I’m on that field, me just thinking ‘Man, you got to be unstoppable and just be the best player on the field every time you step on the field,’” Robinson said earlier this month. “That’s where I’m at, and I’m going to play like it, and I’m going to play for this team like it. Obviously, the gifts that God has given me, it will be in effect on that field. That’s all I’m going to say about it.”
During his first two seasons, Robinson sometimes hit the open hole in the Falcons’ outside zone run plays only to get tackled by the unblocked defender before he could break a long run. Now, he’s honed in on seeing where that defender is ahead of time.
Regardless of the run scheme Atlanta deploys, Robinson wants to get to the point where he’s hitting the gaps and shaking free of hitters who enter his path.
“Me and coach [Pitre] joke all the time that we’re done with 30-yard runs and all that stuff. Now, it’s time to get those 60-yard runs, 50 yards,” Robinson said. “So I’ve been doing a lot more explosive drills. I’ve been doing a lot more [sprinting]. … So we can be prepared for when those moments come in all the games.
“We’re all waiting for that Saquon type of season when it comes to explosives. I’ve been working on it a lot this offseason. … It’s time to go show it and do the work the right way.”
Then everyone will notice what Barkley already sees.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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