FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons have a quarterback situation on their hands that new head coach Kevin Stefanski will have to face head-on sooner rather than later.
Michael Penix Jr. underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in November. A timeline for Penix's return is fluid, as he could be back to 100% anywhere from 9-12 months post-operation. That would put Penix back around August, on the early side of that timeline. However, 100% physically sometimes does not mean 100% in other ways, especially with a new head coach coming in with his own offensive system and terminology. So, if Penix is not ready to go Week 1 — for one reason or another — the Falcons have to put a plan in place for a starter.
Could it be Kirk Cousins, considering a couple of Cousins' best years of his career were spent with Stefanski as his quarterbacks coach and coordinator? Well, money would have to talk. And seeing as Cousins' current contract is estimated to make up 8.3% of the Falcons' 2026 salary cap with a $24.6 million cap number, that's pretty loud talk.
If not Cousins, the Falcons would have to look elsewhere. So, the quarterback situation is one of fluctuation. It's a question that needs to be addressed and answered by the new Falcons leadership in place — or soon-to-be in place with a hire of a general manager next on the docket.
Something that isn't a question, nor is it a fluid situation, is the continued importance of and reliance on Bijan Robinson.
We all know what Robinson's 2025 season was, right? Record-breaking. He earned yet another Pro Bowl nod, an AP first-team All-Pro selection as a running back and a second-team All-Pro selection as the league's leader in yards from scrimmage.
In 2025, Robinson averaged 135.2 scrimmage yards per game, totaling a league-leading 2,298 yards from scrimmage. To put his workload into further perspective, the Falcons ran a total of 1,048 offensive plays this past season. Between rush opportunities and completions through the air, Robinson touched the ball on 366 of those plays. This means Robinson alone made up roughly 35% of all Falcons offensive plays in 2025 — that's one touch for every three plays run. The Falcons totaled 5,661 yards from scrimmage as an offense. Robinson accounted for 40.6% of that total.
Yes, that's a lot of numbers, but they're important to know because even with the quarterback uncertainty in Atlanta, Robinson is certain. It's why Stefanski makes a lot of sense as the offensive mind leading the team in 2026.
As stated in our deep dive into Stefanski's career, we noted the basis of his scheme is a wide-zone, play-action offense. He's known to like a good stretch zone run, with cut-back lanes that Robinson, more than arguably anyone else in the league, can make a defense pay for not clogging up.
Everyone wants to talk about Stefanski's work with quarterbacks, considering how many he's worked with, but his scheme has been plentiful for all types of running backs in the last seven seasons.
Stefanski's first full year as the offensive coordinator in Minnesota saw Dalvin Cook crack the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career, helping him earn his first Pro Bowl nod along with a No. 21 ranking in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020 list.
Cook went from just 821 yards from scrimmage in 2018 to 1,654 in 2019 with only one more game played from one year to the next. His total production per game doubled, averaging 118.1 yards per game in 2019 from 63.2 yards per game the year prior. Cook's performance that year highlighted Stefanski's system as a prosperous one for running backs to play in.
When Stefanski took over as the head coach in Cleveland, that trend continued. Running back Nick Chubb's production increased significantly with Stefanski's system in place, going from 996 rushing yards in 2018 to over 1,000 in each of his next three seasons. As Terrin Waack pointed out, his pass numbers grew, too, with his total yards from scrimmage surpassing 1,770 in 2019. By 2022, Chubb was putting up a career-high in rushing yards, which was third-most in the league at the time. He scored a career-high 13 touchdowns en route to a AP Second-Team All-Pro nod.
Through his years as a coordinator and head coach, Stefanski has never shied away from his reliance on proven backs to lead the charge offensively. There are few in today's game as proven, productive and popular as Robinson is going into 2026. He's someone any offensive play-caller would love to scheme for, now it is Stefanski who has that privilege. Based on Stefanski's past, this pairing has the makings of a match made in football heaven.
