With Zac Robinson now running the show, the Atlanta Falcons’ offense will look much different next season. Robinson, the former Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach who followed new Falcons coach Raheem Morris to Atlanta, will surely shape the offense in his image. After poor scheming held the Falcons back under Arthur Smith, having a Sean McVay pupil running the offense should be a breath of fresh air for the Dirty Birds. Atlanta has a wealth of quality skill-position players, who should have greater chances to shine in Robinson’s system. That said, one player who should benefit substantially could be running back Tyler Allgeier.
A 2022 fifth-round pick, Allgeier proved to be a pleasant surprise in his rookie season. The BYU product was Atlanta’s leading rusher in 2022, racking up 1,035 yards and 3 touchdowns on 4.9 yards per attempt.
per attempt. In his second season, though, Allgeier didn’t enjoy quite the same production as he rushed for 683 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 3.7 yards per attempt. It didn’t help that he played second fiddle to star rookie Bijan Robinson, but even splitting snaps, Allgeier had a similar number of carries to his rookie year. Robinson’s exact spin on the offense remains to be seen, but going by what McVay has run over the years, Allgeier could be a big beneficiary. The Rams have employed a good balance of run and pass, as opposed to the more ground-centric game the Falcons ran under Smith. That may sound bad for a running back, and Allgeier may end up getting fewer carries than before, but the side effects of this change more than make up for it. For one, the Falcons won’t be facing a stacked box nearly as often, which should give Allgeier more room to run. For two, Robinson could very well bring the Rams’ heavy use of play action to Atlanta, which would also keep opposing defenses on their toes. Most of the talk surrounding play action is on how it opens up the passing game, but that extra layer of unpredictability goes the other way as well.
