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FLOWERY BRANCH Kevin Stefanski inherits one of the NFL's most dynamic offensive weapons, but the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons biggest challenge may be knowing when not to hand Bijan Robinson the football.
The running back has appeared in 51 career games for the Falcons, during which he has recorded 805 carries for 3,910 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns.
He has also caught 198 passes for 1,738 yards and 9 receiving touchdowns.
Robinsons 5,605 career yards from scrimmage helped him surpass Christian McCaffrey (5,443) for the most by any player under 24 in NFL history.
Adding to his impressive tally was an NFL-leading 2,298 scrimmage yards (1,478 rushing and 820 receiving yards) in his third professional season a Falcons franchise record and the 12th-most by any player in league history.
Robinsons outstanding season saw him finish fourth in the NFLs Offensive Player of the Year vote.
The accolades are plentiful, but that is where Stefanskis responsibility comes in.
The new Falcons head coach has one of the leagues most dominant players, but he will need to be careful in how he deploys him.
Robinson has an NFL-leading 1,003 total touches since he entered the league.
That is both a luxury and a warning.
He has largely avoided taking serious hits, but the body blows this league can deliver to running backs can mount.
Since he has a strong claim as one of the NFLs most effective skill players, it would naturally be easy to simply send him back on the field every down.
But the toll on a running back could shorten what could be a Hall of Fame career, and the Falcons must be judicious about how much they use their star running back.
Fortunately for the franchise, that is something he is not altogether unfamiliar with.
I've been around some good running backs, Stefanski said during the Falcons mandatory minicamp in June.
You know how I feel about Bijan, but being around Adrian Peterson for many years, being around Nick Chubb for many years, there are certain things in that position that allow your football team to win games late in games when you have leads, and you can run football.
The Falcons are well-positioned for the 2026 season, with Robinsons lightning set to be supported by Brian Robinson Jr.s thunder.
At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, he is the ideal handcuff to put games away when the situation calls for it or help find tough yards in big moments.
Still, breaking from the flow when a dominant player like Bijan Robinson is on a hot hand is difficult in the moment, but it is something that Stefanski can draw on from experience.
Stefanski had that in Cleveland with the tandem of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, and the staff had plenty of plays ready for both players.
The staff would attack each week with a specific plan to allocate touches, but that comes down to communication, which is something the Falcons have with running backs coach Michael Pitre.
Having a player like Bijan Robinson is an asset, but it is also a big responsibility.
Stefanski appreciates it, and he has quickly become a fan of the player, too.
Bijan's a pro, and I appreciate that, he said.
How he goes about his business in the meeting room, how he goes about his business on the grass.
[It] really goes back to the conversation about leadership, about being authentic to who you are.
That's what I witness every single day.
Now, the physical skill set is obvious off of the tape.
That's something that you see from the tape.
And certainly, out there on the grass, [hes] somebody that can affect the game in a multitude of ways.
But I would pivot back to just the person that he is and the impact that he has on our roster, our locker room, on a daily ba Garrett Chapman is a sports broadcaster, writer, and content creator based in Atlanta.
He has several years of experience covering the Atlanta sports scene, college football, Georgia high school football, recruiting for 24/7 Sports, and the NFL.
You can also hear him on Sports Radio 92.9 The Game.
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