Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke recently released his All-PFF squads for each team over the last two decades since PFF was founded. For the Atlanta Falcons, a rich crop of talent made some selections very difficult, while others were pretty straight forward.
As one might expect given the Falcons recent history, the All-PFF team looks much better on offense, and there are some true franchise greats to have played for the team in the last 20 years. The headliner is obviously Matt Ryan, who is far and away the most accomplished passer in team history.
Players like Julio Jones and Roddy White are obvious inclusions, as well as players like Jake Matthews and Chris Lindstrom along the offensive line. But some current Falcons also made the list, including Drake London and Bijan Robinson, which has seen some interesting discussions surface.
The Atlanta Falcons' All-PFF team snubbed not one, but two elite RBs
Jahnke decided to include 3 wideouts and only 1 rusher in the Falcons' All-PFF Team, and that leads to an interesting question: Is Bijan Robinson already the best running back to play for Atlanta across the last 20 years?.
Maybe it's nostalgia, or the fact that the Falcons were more competitive during the 2000s and 2010s, but Jahnke failing to even mention Michael Turner or Devonta Freeman in the conversation at running back feels like an oversight, even with how sensational Bijan has been.
Turner recorded 1,300+ rushing yards in three out of four seasons between 2008 and 2011, including 1,699 yds in the '08 campaign. Freeman, for his part, put up 1,000+ yds from scrimmage and four top-20 fantasy performances in four of five seasons (he missed all but two games in 2018) between 2015-2019, including an RB1 overall performance in 2015, and was a major contributor on the league's best offense on 2016's NFC Championship team.
That's not to disparage the All-Pro back, who is probably still the correct choice and is clearly the most dynamic physical talent of the trio. Bijan's production is remarkable through three pro seasons, and after leading the league in scrimmage yards last season, he is arguably the league's best RB right now, a status neither Turner nor Freeman ever came close to holding.
As he often is when it comes to the Atlanta Falcons, Bijan Robinson was the center of conversation, and deservedly so. But it's hard not to feel a little bit bummed out that two of the running backs who paved the way for him in Michael Turner and Devonta Freeman failed to get a mention.
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