NFL fans react to Arthur Smith reportedly returning as Falcons HC next season - “Not drafting Bijan Robinson next year”

The Atlanta Falcons are fighting for the NFC South, but the team is far from being competitive with the upper tier of the conference. The sole reason why they've been able to fight for the division is that the NFC South is in the middle of a three-way tie between the Falcons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints.

However, it looks like changes are unlikely to come to the team barring a collapse in the remaining four games. A report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said that Arthur Smith is likely to survive another year as the head coach in Atlanta, barring a series of horrendous results in the final month.

NFL fans were not impressed to see a head coach who they consider middling to get yet another chance, especially considering how much better the Falcons were supposed to be in 2023:

Why are NFL fans upset with the Falcons' usage of Bijan Robinson?

The idea of Bijan Robinson becoming an NFL superstar from his first season in the pros was valid, but the new Atlanta running back saw his workload limited during his rookie season as head coach Arthur Smith wanted to keep him fresh.

Robinson was drafted with the 8th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, with the Falcons going against the trend of taking running backs early in the draft. While it's not the smartest decision in the current league market, his talent is so impressive that it was a risk worth taking with Atlanta having an inexperienced Desmond Ridder as their starter.

With a young roster on the offensive side of the ball, with Desmond Ridder, Kyle Pitts and Drake London alongside the former Texas superstar as the core, not using him at full speed has been a baffling decision. Everyone knows that a running back's life in the pros doesn't last long.

For the season, Robinson has 790 rushing yards and four touchdowns, plus 320 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the air. His big play potential is high, but since Atlanta isn't using him at maximum, his numbers aren't as impressive as they could've been.