Do the Falcons have the best roster in football?

The praise has been coming in so fast and furious for the Atlanta Falcons that it can feel surreal for fans. We spent years complaining that no one would recognize the team’s success from 2008-2012, had to seethe quietly (or not so quietly) while the Falcons sank back into mediocrity from 2013-2015, and now find ourselves celebrating one of the best Falcons rosters ever. You can be forgiven for pinching yourself.

But here’s one of the most striking accolades you’ll ever see: ESPN and Pro Football Focus, in a joint ESPN article that’s mostly driven by PFF, just declared that the Falcons should be ranked as the best roster in the NFL. This is a roster that wouldn’t even have cracked the top ten a year ago, had you asked basically any football analyst.

The Falcons earned this by returning most of their Super Bowl-worthy roster from 2016, adding a smattering of potential impact rookies, and snagging starting defensive tackle Dontari Poe in free agency. They’re a great, increasingly young football team that is hopefully destined for even bigger and better things, and this recognition is just a nice footnote to what will hopefully be the best year in the franchise’s history.

Would you rank the Falcons #1, too?