Bijan Robinson was back to the training field to the Falcons on Monday. After missing the team’s first six sessions of organized activities due to a left ankle injury, the running back returned to work on the field ahead of schedule.
“I feel great,” Robinson said, via Terrin Waack of the team’s website. “I know I had to continue to rehab it and get comfortable getting back into myself. But it feels good. It feels good to be back on the field with the guys.”
The Falcons didn’t take advantage of Robinson’s talent last season after making him a first-round pick. He averaged just 12.6 carries per game as a rookie, rushing for 976 yards, an average of 4.6 yards per carry. He also caught 58 passes for 487 yards and scored eight total touchdowns.
Robinson averaged 21.5 carries his senior year at Texas and 19.5 the year before that.
He expects his per-game average to increase this season with a new offense, a new offensive coordinator and a new head coach.
“I’m going to be more of a runner who does everything else… It’s like a runner first, like what I did in college, and then still have access to go to receiver, still have access to do creative things. out of the backfield,” Robinson said. “More like how they use Christian [McCaffrey] there in San Francisco, something like that. So that’s the plan here.”
McCaffrey averaged 17 carries and 21.2 touches per game last season, when he earned first-team Offensive Player of the Year and All-Pro honors.