NFL Draft

What Happened to Bijan Robinson?

The Atlanta Falcons' star rookie was curiously absent from Sunday's win.

Luke Easterling

What Happened to Bijan Robinson?
What Happened to Bijan Robinson? /
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As Sunday's game wore on, Atlanta Falcons fans (and fantasy football managers) couldn't help but notice a glaring absence on the field.

Bijan Robinson, the Falcons star rookie running back, remained on the sidelines while Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson split the duties in the offensive backfield alongside quarterback Desmond Ridder.

A top-10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Robinson has wasted little time flashing his rare talent over the first six weeks of his rookie season, but he didn't touch the field until a carrying the ball once in the final seconds of a 16-13 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Speaking to Fox Sports reporter Kristina Pink just after halftime, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith gave the following update on Robinson's status:

The Falcons didn't need Robinson to come away with a huge road win over a division rival, but considering Robinson wasn't on the injury report all week, and nothing about his situation surfaced on Sunday leading up to the game, his absence came as a puzzling surprise to the rest of the NFL world.

After the game, Robinson himself discussed his situation:

Here's hoping Robinson is feeling better, and back to 100 percent the next time the Falcons take the field.

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Luke Easterling
LUKE EASTERLING

Luke Easterling (he/him) has been covering college football and the NFL for more than two decades, with a particular focus on the nexus of both, the NFL Draft. Writing for some of the largest and most recognizable brands in sports media, Luke's experience and expertise in evaluating potential NFL prospects and evaluating team needs/fits has earned the appreciation of his readers, and the respect of his peers. Luke cut his sports journalism teeth at The Tampa Tribune before spending two years at Bleacher Report as a featured columnist covering the NFL Draft and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Luke then spent nearly seven years at USA TODAY Sports Media Group as editor of Draft Wire and Bucs Wire, building both into authoritative destination sites for their respective audiences. Now at The Arena Group, Luke covers the NFL and college football for Athlon Sports, and runs Sports Illustrated's FanNation site for the NFL Draft. A graduate of the University of South Florida, Luke has been a featured guest on ESPN Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Fox Sports Radio, SiriusXM and more.  Based in Tampa, Florida (the true home of the Cuban sandwich), Luke plays the drums, loves 2000s pop-punk, watches way too many British murder mystery shows, and channels the energy of his deep-south Grammy and his full-Italian Nana in the kitchen. Twitter: @lukeeasterling Email: luke.easterling@si.com

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