Bijan Robinson swaps jerseys with his old Texas teammate Joseph Ossai
Bijan Robinson has been an electrifying tailback at every level of football he’s ever played on thus far. He didn’t disappoint in his NFL debut on Friday evening against the Cincinnati Bengals, hauling in a one-handed catch, and showing off the remarkably shifty moves that made him one of the most exciting players in college football.
The former Texas Longhorns’ star got to swap jerseys after the game with his old teammate, Joseph Ossai, who had a great game for the Bengals on Friday night, too.
Check it out below.
Ossai snatched an interception at around the three-yard line for Cincinnati. He also got a piece of a sack when he combined with his teammate, Jalen Davis, to bring down Falcons’ quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
Bijan Robinson had four carries for 20 rushing yards in his debut. He also hauled in one catch for six yards. He’s one of the favorites to win the Rookie of the Year this season and after watching on Friday night, it’s easy to see why.
Another impressive moment for Bijan Robinson
Those familiar with Robinson’s game won’t be surprised by Robinson’s electric start. Earlier this month, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith discussed his initial impressions of the talented running back.
“Pretty damn pleased with Bijan so far,” Smith said. “The way we use him, I think, is different than most, just philosophically with guys all over.”
Atlanta’s depth chart didn’t reflect Smith’s high praise. When the Falcons released their unofficial depth chart earlier this month, Robinson was listed as RB3 behind Cordarrelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier.
Robinson isn’t the first Atlanta rookie to be listed surprisingly low on the team’s depth chart. First-round picks Kyle Pitts and Drake London faced similar obstacles early in their time with the organization. Robinson seemingly isn’t concerned with the trivial placement. Instead, he simply wants to help his team win.
“For me, I’m a player that loves to give an opportunity to my offense, whether it’s me lining up out wide, lining up in the slot, or trying to give the offense another opportunity to maximize ourselves,” Robinson said. “I think me just learning so many things, especially now, I think it can help you as a running back, but it can help you as an all-around player, not being one-dimensional but being able to do so many things and create more opportunities for yourself.”
Falcons general manager Fontenot likes what he’s seen from the highly-touted RB.
“He’s a true professional already, just the way he handles himself,” Fontenot said, via the team’s website. “We put a lot on these rookies’ plates — a lot on all these players’ plates. But the rookies, it’s a transition. … Bijan is doing a lot of different things for us. It’s taxing, but he’s handled everything so well and he is just even and consistent. He always has that $1 million smile on his face. We appreciate Bijan, and maturity is a good word to describe him.”
On3’s Grant Grubbs also contributed to this article.