The Atlanta Falcons have so many young offensive weapons, it’s easy to be excited about that side of the ball. But Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson made one thing clear this past week — don’t sleep on Atlanta’s defense.
“The defense is looking good. That’s all I can say,” Robinson told Fansided’s John Buhler. “The players obviously are really committed to this game and, you know, even just practicing against them and the energy that they bring.
“I haven’t been here in the past, but I know that this year, like, they are coming in with a major chip on their shoulder, and they understand who they are as players and the skin that they got in it.”
Robinson’s message isn’t all that different from what other Falcons’ players have said this offseason.
Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett expressed his confidence in quarterback Desmond Ridder on July 11. But earlier in the offseason, he raved about Atlanta’s new defensive additions.
“It’s been a heck of a transformation,” Grady Jarrett told the AJC’s D. Orlando Ledbetter on June 9. “It’s been something that I’ve been super excited about having veterans come in, guys who are ready to roll.”
One of those new additions is veteran defensive end Calais Campbell. Although he turns 37 years old on September 1, the Falcons hope Campbell can boost the team’s pass rusher. The Falcons haven’t finished in the top half of the league in sacks since 2017.
This offseason, Campbell has seen the same encouraging signs on defense that Jarrett and Robinson have talked about too. Campbell told Atlantafalcons.com in April that the Atlanta defense “can be a force” and therefore, the Falcons can be a “very strong team” in 2023.
Fans will receive their first chance to see the Falcons defense in game action on August 11 in the preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins.
