Bijan Robinson To Make NFL Preseason Debut vs. Bengals

Former Texas Longhorns star Bijan Robinson is expected to make his NFL Preseason debut on Friday night.

Once former Texas Longhorns star Bijan Robinson was selected with a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft this spring by the Atlanta Falcons, he was expected to be a major contributor. 

However, in the Falcons' preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins last week, Robinson was nowhere to be found. 

And while that may have been a shock to some, it will apparently be a short-lived issue, with Robinson expected to make his debut on Friday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“We’re not going to go crazy,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “We just need the reps. We need to get our bread-and-butter concepts in there and he’ll see his tracks. We’re not going to sit there and show everything but we need to execute well.”

Robinson was obviously chomping at the bit to get onto the field last week. 

But while it was undoubtedly frustrating to watch from the sidelines in what should have been his first opportunity at NFL reps, the former Longhorn unsurprisingly took it all in stride and used it as a learning experience. 

"I'm really excited," Robinson said. "Shoot, even last week, it was super fun just to support my teammates and be the best teammate I can be."

Meanwhile, Robinson's mentality toward the Falcon's decision not to play him is also catching the attention of his coaches. 

And on Friday, he will finally get the chance to show why Smith and the rest of the staff used such a high-value pick to secure his talent. 

"He's a very mature person for a guy that has had a lot thrown at him, that has a lot of hype, a lot of celebrity," Smith said. "He's handled it really well, better than most people. So this is another step for him. We're not going to show everything with him. He just needs to get his feet wet."

The Falcons and Bengals will kick off Friday night at 6:30 PM central time. 

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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