Falcons offensive coordinator named future head coaching candidate
In 2024, the Atlanta Falcons hired former Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach and passing-game coordinator Zac Robinson as their new offensive coordinator.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris saw Robinson's potential while the two worked together in Los Angeles, and he made sure to bring the young assistant with him to Atlanta.
After working with Super Bowl-winning quarterback Matthew Stafford on the Rams, Robinson got the chance to coach both Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. last season with the Falcons.
The first-year offensive coordinator showed a ton of promise. Both wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson had breakout seasons.
If he has another successful year as Atlanta's play-caller in 2025, Robinson may find himself with a head coaching gig. Pro Football Sports Network analyst Jacob Infante named Robinson as one of 32 future head coaching candidates in a new feature.
PFSN names Robinson future head coach candidate:
Like Arizona, the Atlanta Falcons started incredibly hot but cooled off as the 2024 season continued. Part of that was due to Zac Robinson's performance as their offensive play-caller. Robinson, 38, comes from the highly regarded Sean McVay tree, having been the Rams' passing game coordinator in 2022 and 2023 before his promotion in Atlanta. He has a big opportunity to become a strong head coaching candidate if the Falcons' passing game performs well with Michael Penix Jr. now under center. -- Jacob Infante, PFSN
While Cousins got off to a good start, his play fell off drastically after he suffered an injury during a Week 10 loss to the Saints. Penix eventually replaced the struggling veteran in Week 16 and played surprising well for a rookie.
Atlanta's offense became more explosive the moment Penix entered the lineup, and Robinson deserves credit for having the young quarterback ready to play.
Plus, unlike during the three previous seasons under head coach Arthur Smith, the offense did a good job of utilizing the team's personnel. The Falcons offense should be among the NFL's top units this season.
Robinson's presence is a big reason for those expectations. With another good year under his belt, don't be surprised to see Robinson go the route of former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan in 2026.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
28 minutes ago
- New York Post
Tom Brady smiles with lookalike sister in new family photo to celebrate shared birthday
Tom Brady wasn't the only member of his family who received birthday shoutouts this weekend. As the seven-time Super Bowl champion turned 48 on Sunday, he also commemorated his lookalike sister Julie, with whom he shares a birthday, in a heartfelt Instagram post that featured all of his kids. 'And a big Happy Birthday to the greatest sister and aunt in the world,' Brady wrote in an Instagram Story. 5 Tom Brady commemorated the birthday of his sister Julie, with whom he shares a birthday, in a family-centric Instagram post. Instagram 'Thanks for being our biggest fans and always looking out for us. We love you so much!!!!!' In the photo, Brady — now just weeks away from his second season as Fox's lead NFL analyst — is seen smiling beside Julie and his three children, sons Jack, 17, Benjamin, 15, and 12-year-old daughter Vivian. The future Hall of Famer shares Jack with his ex-girlfriend, Bridget Moynahan, while he co-parents Benjamin and Vivian with ex-wife Gisele Bündchen. 5 Tom Brady is a father of three and shares son Benjamin (r.) and daughter Vivian (bottom left) with his ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen. gisele/Instagram 5 The future Hall of Famer also shares son Jack with ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan. Tom Brady/Instagram Brady and Bündchen, 45, finalized their divorce in October 2022 after 13 years of marriage. She recently welcomed a baby boy with her boyfriend, Joaqim Valente. It's been quite the summer for Brady, who not only jetted to Japan with Vivian and Benjamin in June, but took in pals Jeff Bezos' and Lauren Sanchez's lavish Italian wedding in Venice. 'So many special and unforgettable moments,' Brady recalled July 29 on Instagram. 'Breathtaking sunrises and sunsets that steal your breath away, magical weddings that warm the soul, late night adventures filled with laughter and dreams, singing your heart out in the streets, dancing under the stars with loved ones, kids' joyful chaos that reminds you what innocence feels like, and endless laughter echoing through every corner… this is life at its most beautiful. And I'm grateful for every second.' 5 Tom Brady traveled overseas with his kids this summer. Tom Brady/Instagram Brady is preparing for his sophomore season in the booth after making his NFL broadcasting debut last fall. He called premier matchups alongside Fox's top play-by-play caller Kevin Burkhardt, including Super Bowl 2025 in February, when the Eagles walloped the defending champion Chiefs, 40-22. 'The 2024 @nfl season is in the books,' Brady reflected in a February Instagram post. 'It certainly was a new challenge to undertake but I couldn't have asked for a better team to be a part of and learn from! 'To all of my @nflonfox teammates, producers, crew, and colleagues—you made this experience so special, and I'm grateful for the energy, dedication and perserverance you brought every week while always delivering the best broadcast for the fans who we serve week in and week out. It's always been about the TEAM and I'm lucky to be part of this great one @foxsports.' 5 Tom Brady was on the call for Super Bowl 2025 in February. Getty Images Brady, who played 23 seasons in the league before calling it a career in February 2023, concluded his post with a very important question. 'Wait…How long until Week 1???? LFG!!' he exclaimed. To answer that question, exactly one month from Monday, when the Eagles host the Cowboys on 'Thursday Night Football' Sept. 4.
USA Today
28 minutes ago
- USA Today
Texans OT Cam Robinson suffers lower-body injury during drills at The Greenbrier
The Houston Texans' offensive line can't afford to take another hit following the trade of five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Too bad fans can't wish for reality to set in. According to reports, offensive tackle Cam Robinson left practice early at The Greenbrier in West Virginia on Monday with a lower-leg injury in team drills. While he was able to walk off the field, it was clear he was in pain while favoring his left leg. He did not return to practice. Tay Ersery, who has seen most of his reps at the right tackle spot, shifted over to the left tackle role while Tytus Howard switched back to right tackle in place of second-year starter Blake Fisher. Juice Scruggs shifted inside to the right guard role while splitting reps with Ed Ingram in place of Howard. A former second-round pick out of Alabama, Robinson inked a one-year deal worth up to $14 million this offseason to replace Tunsil following his trade to the Washington Commanders. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars before being traded at the deadline last season to the Minnesota Vikings as a temporary replacement for injured left tackle Christian Darrisaw. He played in 11 games during his time in Minneapolis, helping the Vikings finish with the second-best record in the NFC while clinching a playoff spot, though his on-field play was mixed. While protecting Sam Darnold, he allowed four sacks and 49 pressures during his seven starts, including a career-worst 12 pressures in the wild-card round loss against the Los Angeles Rams. The Texans are already thin at offensive tackle, having Trent Brown begin the season on the PUP list. With Fisher not getting a chance to start in place of Ersery with the position switch, Houston might view him as a long-term swing tackle with minimal upside. This isn't to say Robinson is expected to miss time, nor should the Texans be hitting the panic mode yet, but a loss for Robinson at any point of the preseason is massive regarding the development of the offensive line long-term.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Falcons rookie Walker returns from minor injury and hopes to play in preseason opener against Lions
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — After missing much of the first week of training camp with a minor hamstring injury, Atlanta Falcons first-round pick Jalon Walker returned to practice on Monday. Walker said he hopes to play in Friday night's first preseason game against the Detroit Lions. 'I feel good,' Walker said. 'I'm feeling so happy to be back out here. Happy for the week. It's a big week of this first preseason game and excited to get things going." The Falcons selected Walker from Georgia with the No. 15 overall pick in the draft. Walker won the 2024 Butkus Award as the nation's best linebacker and has the potential to play a hybrid role in the NFL as a linebacker and edge rusher. For now, the Falcons want Walker to focus on edge rusher but plan to utilize his versatility. Coach Raheem Morris said Monday the opportunities at linebacker will come 'pretty quickly, you know, as soon as he gets more comfortable out there moving around.' Morris said Walker (6-2, 245) is 'already starting to pick some of those things up, cross training on some of those things already. He's very smart, very sharp, very detailed guy. So nothing you worry about from that standpoint. But I just want to give him a chance to be comfortable doing something first, see that happen, come to life.' Morris said the Falcons were careful to protect Walker from aggravating the injury last week even though the rookie was impatient to join his teammates. The caution continued on Monday as Walker's exposure to practice was limited. After drafting Walker, the Falcons traded with the Los Angeles Rams to add Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. at No. 26. Penix, Cousins to sit out preseason opener Morris said starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and backup Kirk Cousins will not play in the preseason opener against Detroit. Easton Stick and Emory Jones will share the snaps. Penix said he might be considered for preseason games if not for his starts in the final three games of his 2024 rookie season. 'He feels confident in what I can do on game day,' said Penix of Morris. 'So he didn't feel like I needed to play this week. I'm going to be ready Week 1.' Morris said other decisions will be made following the team's scrimmage on Wednesday. Morris takes a tumble Morris lined up as a defensive back against wide receiver Drake London during practice. The coach didn't fare well, as he was pushed back and landed on his backside. Penix, who threw the pass to London on the play, paused when asked about Morris as a player. 'He's a coach now,' Penix said with a smile. 'He's got to leave the DB stuff back from when he was playing.' Pearce lands in another scuffle Pearce continued to build on his reputation for aggressive play by landing in another practice scuffle, this time with offensive lineman Tyrone Wheatley Jr. The rookie had encounters with right tackle Kaleb McGary and right guard Matthew Bergeron last week. 'It's just the competitor in him,' said Walker of Pearce. 'You get after it. And like I said, we've got that one speed and once we click it on, it's on.' Asked about Pearce's early impact in practice, Penix said 'I notice his love for the game. He works extremely hard each and every day. ... Whatever happens after the play, we definitely want to clean that stuff up. But at the same time he's a competitor and he wants to compete at a high level. That's what he does each and every day and that's what we appreciate and that's what we're going to love come game day.' Contract extension for McGary McGary agreed to a two-year, $30 million extension, according to his agent, Collin Roberts. The deal was first reported by ESPN. McGary, a first-round pick in 2019, has started 92 of 93 games in six seasons. ___ AP NFL:
