Tyler Allgeier joined the Atlanta Falcons as a fifth round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. As a rookie he went on to break the Falcons all-time rookie rushing record with 1,035 yards, averaging a healthy 4.9 yards per carry.
So what did Atlanta do the following season? They violated one of the NFL’s most commonly-held truths that teams should not invest Top 10 picks in running backs by selecting Bijan Robinson at No. 8 overall.
Most smart NFL franchises know taking a running back early isn’t the best use of draft capital, but the Falcons aren’t really known for being a smart NFL franchise. There’s a reason Atlanta has had a losing record and missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons now despite playing in the middling NFC South.
Instead of riding with Tyler Allgier, a young 1,000-plus yard running back playing on a delicious rookie contract, the Falcons have force-fed Bijan Robinson for the last two seasons. Allgeier still remains an important player, but an underutilized one.
It has been frustrating over the last two seasons for me as a BYU fan to watch Tyler not being able to fully display his talents with the Falcons. The 2024 season was the most frustrating of them all.
2024 Statistical Summary
17 games, 0 starts
137 carries, 644 yards (4.7 YPC), 3 TDs
13 receptions, 88 yards
2.6 yards after contact per carry
86.4 PFF grade - No. 8 of 47 HBs
Tyler Allgeier’s Season Overview
Man, Tyler Allgeier is so, so good when he has the ball in his hands! He averaged 4.7 yards per carry and gained 2.6 yards after contact. At that rate, if he averaged just 15 carries per game over a 17 game season, he would rush for approximately 1,200 yards. If he played for almost any other NFL team, that’s what he would be doing every season.
There’s a reason Pro Football Focused graded him out as the No. 8 running back in the entire league in 2024.
But rather than churning out 1,000-plus yard seasons as a Top 10 running back, Tyler Allgeier plays for the Atlanta Falcons, a team that used a Top 10 overall pick in Bijan Robinson and now needs to justify that selection despite relatively equal production from both backs.
Now, PFF ranked Bijan Robinson as the No. 2 running back in the NFL and he's a great player, but the gap between him and Allgeier as rushers is very small.
Here’s how Tyler Allgeier’s rushing performance compared to Bijan Robinson’s in 2024:
Tyler Allgeier - 137 carries (8.1/G), 644 yards, 4.7 YPC, 2.6 YAC, 58.4% success rate
B. Robinson - 304 carries (17.9/G), 1,456 yards, 4.8 YPC, 2.4 YAC, 60.2% success rate
In other words, Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson are essentially the same player when running the football!
Yes, I have a BYU football bias toward Tyler Allgeier, but he's just as effective of a runner as Bijan Robinson for the Atlanta Falcons. Why was Allgeier so underutilized with just 8.1 carries per game? pic.twitter.com/b46ab1oKHd
— Diggin’ Brigham (@DigginBrigham) January 10, 2025
Their yards per carry, yards after contact, and success rates are virtually identical. Success rate is a helpful metric in this comparison because Tyler Allgeier was often inserted on obvious running downs and distances while Bijan Robinson had the luxury of running against a multitude of defensive fronts. Success rate is defined by Football Reference as “Gaining 40% of required yards on first down, 60% on second down, and 100% on third and fourth downs.”
Despite equal production running the ball, Robinson was given more than double the carries that Allgeier received (304 to 137, respectively).
In a Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Robinson had 18 rushes to Allegeier’s three. In a Week 7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Robinson rushed 21 times to Allgeier’s five attempts. In a Week 11 loss to the Denver Broncos Bijan had 12 carries to Tyler’s zero - yes, ZERO carries. In a crucial Week 17 loss to the Washington Commanders with the Falcons postseason hopes hanging in the balance, Robinson had 17 carries to Allgeier’s three rushing attempts.
In these four Falcons losses, Robinson got 68 carries to Allgeier’s 11.
Now, this isn’t a Bijan Robinson hit piece. He is a fantastic running back and deserved the Pro Bowl nod he received in 2024. I really like Robinson as a player and appreciate the combination of speed, elusiveness, and strength he demonstrates on his carries. He’s fantastic!
The Falcons have two excellent running backs.
They are frustratingly underutilizing one of them.
Tyler Allgeier’s Next Steps
Tyler Allgeier’s next step is to endure another year in Atlanta while churning out excellent production despite the lack of touches, then bolt as fast as he can as a 2026 free agent. His four-year rookie contract runs through 2025 then he and his agent will be free to pick a better situation where the former BYU bruiser can have the opportunity to begin producing 1,000-plus yard seasons again. It's clearly not going to happen in Atlanta.
Coming out of Allgeier’s 2022 rookie season, I thought Tyler Allgeier would be the Falcons 2024 Pro Bowl running back. Instead, it's Bijan Robinson, and props to him!
The unfortunate reality for both Tyler Allgeier and the BYU fans who root for him is we will likely need to endure one more season of underutilization in Atlanta before he resumes his deserved role as a bell-cow NFL running back.