Falcons Future Forecast: Is ESPN Right?

ESPN just released its NFL Future Power Rankings for the next three seasons. The future looks bleak for the Atlanta Falcons.

ESPN's NFL Future Power Rankings is a look at who has the best chance to sustain success over the next three years. They take into account salary cap, age of roster, front office and coaching, and current talent among other things.

The Atlanta Falcons present looked pretty bleak in 2020 when they fired both head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff. With change comes hope, but there are still problems created by the previous regime that new coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot will have to navigate.

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The futures list was compiled by ESPN experts Jeremy Fowler, Louis Riddick, Seth Walder and Field Yates, and that group doesn't feel the Falcons are in a good position to ascend from their 4-12 record in 2020 and rank the Falcons 26th on the list.

Each of the experts weighed in on the Falcons with Yates hitting on the key points.

Why they're here: With a new coach and general manager in place, the Falcons largely elected to play the long game this offseason. GM Terry Fontenot inherited limited resources to work with outside of the draft, as the team's cap situation was precarious and its star wideout wanted out. Coach Arthur Smith believes that QB Matt Ryan still has good football left in him, and should that prove true, the Falcons have a chance to retool on the fly rather than rebuild. -- Yates

Full List of 32 Teams with Analysis on ESPN Insider

While Fontenot and the Falcons won't use the term "rebuild", this is clearly a roster in need of an overhaul. The Falcons may get the chance at their quarterback again next season with many NFL mock drafts picking the Atlanta to take a signal caller like Malik Willis of Liberty.

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Atlanta is only $9 mil under the salary cap for 2021, and there's not a lot of wiggle room for 2022 relief with the exception of defensive end Dante Fowler.

With an aging quarterback, a youthful secondary, and little room to make moves in free agency the next two seasons, it's understandable the Falcons position on the list.

But there is still talent on offense including Calvin Ridley, Kyle Pitts, and yes, Matt Ryan. With Dean Pees taking over the defense and a relatively easy schedule, there is hope the Falcons turnaround will be much faster than ESPN predicts. 

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