The Atlanta Falcons remain a flawed team, but with running back Bijan Robinson looking every bit like the elite talent he was promised to be in college, there is a path to becoming a respectable playoff fixture once again.
With a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski, alongside a collection of young skill-position players that teams will be frightened of, Atlanta has the pieces needed to be competitive, even if Raheem Morris and former offensive coordinator Zac Robinson were unable to get out of this group.
In an exclusive interview with FanSided, Robinson explained exactly what Stefanski and his new bunch of assistant coaches will need to do to elevate this team. To hear Robinson tell it, the pieces are already in place, and it's on Stefanski and leadership to make sure all of them click.
"Continue to stay consistent," Robinson said, "continue to take every game like it's a championship game...don't underwhelm a team, always stay in the middle. Be consistent in every single game, and make sure that we treat every team like it's the last game we're playing, and we'll be fun."
Bijan Robinson explains how Falcons can take a leap forward in 2026
Robinson is certainly doing his part to keep this offense in a flow state. Robinson was a First Team All-Pro performer last year, amassing a tick under 2,300 yards from scrimmage despite quarterback instability. That was good enough to place fourth in Offensive Player of the Year voting.
Robinson is the tip of the spear in Atlanta, but with Drake London slowly starting to make the transition from good to great on the outside and the possibility of retaining tight end Kyle Pitts, Atlanta might be able to compete with some of the best in the NFL on that side of the ball.
Of course, the Falcons need to figure out what they're doing under center to make all of these pieces work. It seems like Cousins is going to be playing elsewhere (if he even plays at all) in 2026, and it would qualify as a minor miracle if Penix is able to be healthy to start the season.
No matter what happens under center, Stefanski will have a bastion of consistency in Robinson, who has quickly emerged as one of the absolute best players in the league. That should give the Falcons the edge they need to take home the NFC South.