Tyler Allgeier Still 'Very Important' to Falcons Offense After Drafting Bijan Robinson

Bijan Robinson is about to make the Atlanta Falcons' running back room a little more crowded.

Jeremy Brener | May 1, 2023

In this story:

Atlanta Falcons

There may not have been a bigger loser from the Atlanta Falcons' draft weekend than second-year running back Tyler Allgeier.

As a fifth-round pick in 2022, Allgeier burst onto the scene this past season and broke the Falcons' rookie record for rushing yards in a season. For his accomplishments, he was rewarded with a teammate who will likely take some carries from him in first-rounder Bijan Robinson.

Despite taking Robinson with the No. 8 overall pick, head coach Arthur Smith stressed the importance Allgeier has in the offense.

“Tyler is a very important part of this offense,” Smith said via Josh Kendall of The Athletic. “They are different players. You can look at the advanced metrics and say (Allgeier and Robinson) are both yards-after-contact players, but how they do that is completely different. Tyler is like a sledgehammer as the game goes on, bludgeoning through there and wearing you down, where with Bijan it’s contact balance, the way he doesn’t go down, the way he is able to get explosives off that. It’s different the way people will have to tackle them. Whoever is up on game day, they will have unique roles.”

Even though Allgeier may have lost his potential to be a bellcow back for the Falcons, he and Robinson have the potential to be one of the league's greatest running back duos if everything goes according to plan. In today's NFL, offenses have become far more reliant on the pass than the run, but the Falcons are looking to change that.

The longevity of running backs has decreased over time, but by having two young backs both capable of having breakout seasons, it allows the Falcons to build a true identity as a traditional, hard-nosed, physical run-first offense.

You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Falcons? Click Here.

Follow Falcon Report on Twitter.

Want even more Atlanta Falcons news? Check out the SI.com team page here

Published May 1, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.