ESPN has a new batch of preseason NFL power rankings out. As you might expect, they have the Atlanta Falcons near the bottom of their list, stuck at No. 26 - the same as their last batch.
That's not really interesting at this point. What is interesting is the note that ESPN attached courtesy of beat reporter Marc Raimondi. His milestone to watch for this coming season is running back Bijan Robinson potentially breaking Clinton Portis' record for most yards from scrimmage for a player under 25 years old. Here's how he can do it.
"Clinton Portis had 7,059 scrimmage yards before turning 25 in the early 2000s with Denver and Washington, while Robinson enters this season with 5,648 career scrimmage yards. So for Robinson to move to No. 1, he needs
1,412 yards from scrimmage before his 25th birthday on Jan. 30, 2027. He led the league with an average of 135 scrimmage yards per game last season. At the same pace in 2026, Robinson would close in on the record by Week 11."
Portis was a special talent, but his ceiling is nowhere in the same stratosphere as that of Robinson. Having just signed a new contract that makes him the highest-paid running back in the NFL, Robinson is expected to have an all-time special kind of season - and Portis' record may just be the beginning.
Since 2009 the record for most yard from scrimmage in a season has been held by former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson at just over 2,500. Assuming that the Falcons don't give all of what would have been Tyler Allgeier's reps to the backups, Robinson should have more than enough touches to not just break, but shatter that record.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: How Bijan Robinson can break a long-held NFL record
