Can Bijan Robinson Be Falcons 'RB GOAT?'
The Atlanta Falcons hope to see fireworks every time rookie running back Bijan Robinson touches the ball. That being said, what would it take for him to be known as the greatest running back in the organization's history?
Robinson enters the league with superstar expectations, unlike anything since Saquon Barkley joined in 2018. At Texas, Robinson was a force proving himself as a three-down workhorse back which should make it easy for him to get touches in Atlanta this upcoming season.
Back in 2021, our staff ranked the greatest Falcons running backs to have ever played, and sitting atop the list was fellow three-down monster William Andrews a third-round draft pick from a different era of football.
Andrews played from 1979-1986, was a four-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro, amassed a total of 5,986 rushing yards, 30 rushing touchdowns, 2,647 receiving yards, and 11 receiving touchdowns. Although a strike in 1982 shortened the NFL Season knee injury in 1984 and derailed a magnificent career, his contributions on the gridiron shouldn't be forgotten.
Playing in an era of smashmouth football when pass-catching wasn't considered a required skill for running backs, Andrews is the franchise's all-time leader in receiving yards out of the backfield and a true pioneer that helped mold the modern definition of a running back.
Andrews had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to start his career. Only the strike in 1982 could slow him down. In nine games that year, he had already broken 500 rushing and receiving yards. It was Andrews' ability as a weapon out of the backfield that elevates him to the top of this list. He's the Falcons' all-time leader in yards from scrimmage as a running back with 8,633.
In 1984, during Andrews' final healthy season with Atlanta, he had 2,176 yards from scrimmage, the third-most in NFL history at that point.
Though Andrews was out of the league after the 1986 season, his jersey is retired in Atlanta, something that Falcons' fans hope they can say of Robinson when his career is all said and done, but until then, grab your popcorn and get ready to watch fireworks from the rookie in training camp as he looks to build his own legacy and become the organization’s GOAT at running back.
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