NFL analyst lists Falcons player among dark-horse MVP candidates

It’s been 10 years since an Atlanta Falcons player last won the league MVP award. Former Falcons QB and current president of football Matt Ryan took it home after his remarkable 2016 campaign. Ryan passed for nearly 5,000 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions before leading Atlanta to a Super Bowl berth.

Things have been considerably less exciting for the team over the last decade. The Falcons haven’t made the playoffs since 2017, and they haven’t finished above .500 since Ryan was still in Atlanta. While the team has high hopes for the upcoming season, those around the NFL aren’t buying in just yet.

As the Falcons attempt to solidify the quarterback position, NFL defenses will be focused on slowing down running back Bijan Robinson. The fourth-year back has established himself as one of the league’s elite rushers.

NFL.com’s Dan Parr listed Robinson among his nine dark-horse MVP candidates entering the 2026 season, citing touchdown vulture Tyler Allgeier’s departure as one of the reasons.

“It would take historic production and a surprisingly successful season for the Falcons to make Robinson a leading MVP contender, but I can see the path for him if I squint,” wrote Parr. “Robinson was a first-team All-Pro after leading the league in scrimmage yards last season (2,298), but his team wasn’t very good (8-9) and he didn’t even lead Atlanta in rushing touchdowns. That title went to backup Tyler Allgeier, who departed in free agency, so perhaps there will be more goal-line opportunities for Robinson in the first year of the Kevin Stefanski era.”

While Robinson will almost certainly be among the NFL’s most valuable players this season, the MVP award has become mostly a quarterback award. Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey have all put together MVP-caliber seasons over the last few years, but as expected, the award went to a quarterback each time.

If the Falcons can get their passing game going this season, Robinson will have even more space to operate, which is a scary thought. Last season, the former top-10 pick topped 2,000 all-purpose yards for the first time in his NFL career.

Since entering the league in 2023, Robinson has rushed for 3,910 yards and 25 touchdowns on 4.9 yards per attempt. The dual-threat back has also recorded 198 receptions for 1,738 receiving yards and nine touchdown receptions over his 51 career games.

Robinson’s durability has been an underrated part of his game. Running backs take more hits than anyone and the former Texas Longhorns star has yet to miss a game in three years.

While it’s clearly unlikely, if Robinson can hit that 2,000-yard rushing milestone, he will have a real shot to at least be in the MVP discussion this season.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons: Bijan Robinson named dark-horse MVP candidate