Bijan Robinson’s absence in Sunday’s game wasn’t just a last-minute obstacle for the Falcons. It turns out that the Falcons should be expecting a call from the league over how the team handled it.
When the Falcons lined up for their opening drive in their game against the Buccaneers, the star rookie running back was nowhere to be found. And that trend continued for much of the first half as the Falcons split running back snaps between Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson — with Robinson only lining up as a decoy receiver for a few plays.
It wasn’t until the start of the second half when we learned that Robinson wasn’t feeling well. Yet, Robinson’s postgame remarks could mean discipline heading the Falcons’ way.
VIDEO: We heard that Bijan Robinson wasn't feeling well.
He told us postgame he was dealing with a bad headache. Arthur Smith didn't want to test it. Said he was feeling it last night as well. pic.twitter.com/qKLaETxo4c
— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) October 22, 2023
Robinson told reporters that he started experiencing headache symptoms on Saturday night and didn’t get any better come Sunday. NFL rules require teams to report such illnesses and injuries on the injury report, as it prevents teams from getting a competitive advantage. Keeping Robinson off the injury report also impacted fantasy football managers and bettors.
According to ProFootballTalk, the league plans to follow up with the Falcons to see why Robinson was not designated as “questionable” on the Sunday morning injury report. The Falcons likely realized they broke the policy and played Robinson in decoy spots to avoid punishment. Otherwise, why even put him out there?
While it’s unclear if the Falcons will face a fine or something worse, the league certainly doesn’t want teams to leave limited or sick players unlisted. We’ll have to see how the NFL handles this as the season goes on.