It’s the dawn of a new era in Georgia, as the Atlanta Falcons move forward with Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach. After calling the shots in Cleveland for the last half-decade, the head coach was fired after another losing season.
While many thought he’d have a tough time landing another head coaching gig, opportunity didn’t take long to come knocking, as the Falcons dialed up. But what does the team’s biggest star think of Stefanski?
Falcons RB Bijan Robinson Gives His Take on Kevin Stefanski’s Schemes
Robinson had a career season last year, playing under a defensive-minded head coach in Raheem Morris. He was the bright spot on a team that went 8-9, recording 1,478 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 287 carries. He was also utilized significantly in the pass game, putting up 820 receiving yards and four scores on 79 receptions.
Now playing under the offensive-minded Stefanski, he might clock even higher numbers next season. The former Browns coach remarkably led Cleveland to an 11-6 record in 2023 while running a committee quarterback room, with five players starting under center.
His success in 2020 with Baker Mayfield, winning a playoff game, points to an overlooked ability to run strong offenses, and the Falcons could benefit significantly from it. Robinson shared his thoughts on Stefanski during Pro Bowl preparations while talking with Christian McCaffrey and Kyle Juszczyk.
“[Kevin Stefanski] is fire, bro,” Robinson said. “I like him a lot. And his offensive schemes, Tommy Rees — he’s the OC — but he don’t call the plays.”
Stefanski’s schemes have struggled to shine in Cleveland. While the front office delivered on defense with Myles Garrett and others, the head coach has had to keep the boat afloat with a thin offense.
This season, he went through a full rotation at quarterback, including veterans Joe Flacco and Sam Darnold, as well as rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins showed potential in his first year, but still didn’t cross the 850-yard mark on the ground.
The receiving corps was a flaming mess, with rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. having led the unit due to WR1 Jerry Jeudy’s lack of production. Beyond them, there wasn’t anything to write home about, as tight end David Njoku couldn’t even record 300 yards receiving (C- grade in PFSN’s TE Impact metric).
The Falcons, on the other hand, are loaded with potential. With Robinson and Tyler Allgeier in the backfield, Stefanski should also have star receivers Kyle Pitts and Drake London to work with out wide.
How the head coach’s schemes come together in Atlanta will be fun to watch.
