Atlanta Falcons: Expectations for Allgeier should still be high despite addition of Bijan

The Atlanta Falcons drafting Bijan Robinson was clearly the right move for Arthur Smith's team and this franchise. Despite the interesting fits of Jalen Carter or Christian Gonzalez, the team went with the best player on the board and it is clear that they made the right decision heading into week one with great depth at back.

Tyler Allgeier was an 1,000-yard rusher as a rookie in this system and clearly is less talented than Bijan. This isn't a shot at Allgeier but simply the reality that the second-year player finds himself in heading into the 2023 season.

Despite clearly taking a reserve role expectations should still be high for Tyler considering how Arthur Smith is likely to use the Atlanta run game. Smith can't make it any more clear that he doesn't care about your fantasy football team or his players hitting certain benchmarks.

He will manage Bijan's carries and have the star rookie split time with Cordarrelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier to keep all three backs fresh deep into the season. Allgeier is still going to have a consistent impact on this team and likely start in close to the same role as he did last season.

For Patterson, this looks slightly different with his elite ability to hunt mismatches and play receiver at a high level. Cordarrelle should be expected to return to his utility role with Allgeier and Robinson taking the bulk of the carries and Patterson mixed in as a change of pace.

It is rare that a team has an 1,000 yard rusher and goes out the next season and drafts a running back inside the top ten. This move speaks to both how important Arthur Smith's run game is as well as how special Bijan Robinson truly is. Allgeier may no longer be the starting running back but the second year player is going to be given plenty of chances in what should be an exciting 2023 season for Altanta.