Bijan Robinson vs. 'Underrated Sledgehammer' Tyler Allgeier: Falcons 'Wasting' a RB?

The Atlanta Falcons have a three-monster at running back after drafting Bijan Robinson to pair with Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson.

The Atlanta Falcons are on "summer break" after wrapping up OTAs and mandatory minicamp, with visions of Bijan Robinson dancing in their heads.

Players and staff will have until the end of July before having to report back for the start of training camp. In this short time off, coach Arthur Smith and offensive coordinator Dave Ragone can start thinking of ways to get the most out of their backfield, which added first-round draft pick Robinson this offseason.

The selection of Robinson came after a pleasant surprise with the 2022 emergence of Tyler Allgeier as the Falcons' No. 1 running back. Following Cordarrelle Patterson's injury, the Falcons were forced to turn to the then-rookie out of BYU. 

The fourth-round draft pick proved capable of being the Falcons' top back down the stretch, as he'd go on to have the most successful rookie seasons of any back in franchise history. Allgeier set the Falcons' record for rushing yards in a rookie year with 1,035.

Yet, even with his success, the Falcons went running back in the first round, which likely means a reduced role for Allgeier. And yet ... Sports Illustrated recently named the former BYU back as the Falcons' most "underrated" player.

"I’m putting Allgeier here as a way to get into another point: I love the fact that the Falcons drafted Bijan Robinson, but if the plan was to make Allgeier irrelevant in the running game they are wasting a significant asset," Sports Illustrated writes. "After the draft, coach Arthur Smith described Allgeier as the “sledgehammer” in his new offense. Consider me intrigued."

The article compares the Falcons' current backfield to one Chip Kelly had when he was the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, where he paired DeMarco Murray with Ryan Matthews and Darren Sproles. Additionally, SI said there is "value" in having Allgeier paired with Robinson as they provide different skill sets. 

Robinson will be the much more elusive and agile back in the Falcons' offense, who will also likely take on much of the third-down duties due to his ability to function out of the backfield. Allgeier's skillset will likely allow him to function as a short-yardage back and a change of pace to Robinson due to his ability to run through contact. 

Add in the veteran Patterson and the Falcons have a three-headed monster at running back. ... with Bijan as the top guy without "wasting'' the others.

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