FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — For the first time since Kevin Stefanski was hired as the Atlanta Falcons' head coach, a current player has spoken publicly about the organization's decision. Following his appearance at the Pro Bowl Games, running back Bijan Robinson made the rounds on Super Bowl radio row Thursday morning.
Robinson is a finalist for AP Offensive Player of the Year, with the winner set to be announced Thursday night at NFL Honors.
One of Robinson's first stops Thursday morning was the Good Morning Football desk, where he was asked about his early impressions of Stefanski.
"I am really excited about it. I talked to Kevin. Great human being," Robinson said. "The cool thing is he has a plan already. You already know he's (got) a vision of the team, a vision for what he wants."
Robinson expanded on those thoughts shortly afterward.
"He knows how to utilize everybody for their skillsets," Robinson said. "He knows how to put everybody in the right positions. I am super excited about that because I add more than just to the run game, pass game."
Robinson's comments come after Stefanski described himself as a self-proclaimed "maniac" when it comes to player development during his introductory press conference.
"I am crazy about the development of our players. We want to be a very intentional group when it comes to developing players," Stefanski said. "... I think it is our job as coaches to put structure around them, to put a curriculum together in the offseason to get them up to speed in whatever areas, to give them very specific things that we are going to work on together so they can improve."
Despite Robinson already being one of the league's top running backs — leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage in 2025 — Stefanski has emphasized that player development applies to everyone on the roster, including Robinson, whom he has identified as a foundational piece.
Robinson was among the first players Stefanski contacted after being named the Falcons' head coach, sending him a late-night text message.
"I couldn't wait to talk to him," Stefanski said, after jokingly apologizing to Robinson for the late hour.
Since then, the two have connected in person at the Falcons' facility in Flowery Branch.
"He's a special person, I'd start there. This is a special person that everybody told me about. But then I got to see for myself what type of person he is. He's team oriented. He's an intelligent player," Stefanski said, "and there's no shortage to what he can do with the football in his hands. That's our job as coaches, to find ways to get that ball in his hands."
And according to Robinson — speaking on the morning he was set to attend an event honoring the league's top performers — that plan is already taking shape.
"I do a lot of different things on the football field," Robinson said, "so to hear his plan and hear what he has to say is pretty awesome."
