<img alt="Carolina Panthers v Atlanta Falcons" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9X2Xn1F2DW41JOwx45k3nwKgoSw=/0x0:3246x2164/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73593917/1192744037.0.jpg">
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Want to remember some legends with us? The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced 167 nominees for its incoming 2025 class, and as you’d expect, there are some familiar Atlanta Falcons greats who made that list.
Is this the year a deserving John Abraham and Warrick Dunn get the nod? Let’s recap the list.
WR Roddy White
No list of Falcons great is complete without White, one of the team’s legends and a legendary Saints hater. White was in some ways quickly overshadowed by fellow great Julio Jones, who overlapped with him and then broke several of his franchise records, but Roddy is second in yards and receptions all-time in franchise history and still has the record for receiving touchdowns. Roddy is also 43rd in NFL history for yardage, 40th in receptions, and and tied for 76th in touchdowns after spending his entire career with the Falcons.
He seems unlikely to make it to Canton, but he’s a Falcons all-timer and a member of the Ring of Honor.
DE John Abraham
Another franchise legend and a player with a reasonable shot of making the Hall of Fame, Abe terrorized quarterbacks for over a decade with the Jets, Falcons, and Cardinals.
Abraham’s resume is often overlooked despite being one of the most disruptive players of his era, as he’s third all-time in forced fumbles in NFL history (tied with Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney) and depending on whether you use unofficial or official sack totals, either 18th or 13th in league history in sacks. He’s either second or first in team history for sacks, too, depending on whether you use Claude Humphrey’s fantastic total, and is first in forced fumbles and second in quarterback hits behind Grady Jarrett, who just passed him.
Abe is one of the great pass rushers in league history, in other words, and should be honored as such.
RB Warrick Dunn
He feels like a player who will always be a borderline Canton case, which is too bad given that he’s one of the great backs in Falcons and league history. He’s 23rd in league history in rushing yardage and tied for 89th in rushing touchdowns, but he’s also had over 500 receptions and is in the top 20 all-time for running back receiving yardage as a true dual threat out of the backfield for the Buccaneers and Falcons. He’s also fourth in Falcons rushing yardage and seventh in touchdowns, and is a Hall of Fame human being who has built countless houses for families who need them.
LB Keith Brooking
A polarizing player in his day, Brooking is third in team history in terms of tackles, sixth in tackles for a loss, and a mighty productive defender for the Falcons and Cowboys. His coverage lapse in the 2008 playoffs will forever be held against him by fans, but that overlooks that he was a consistently high-end defender who made five consecutive Pro Bowls in Atlanta as the centerpiece of their defense.
I don’t think he makes the Hall of Fame, but he’s one of the better defenders in team history, regardless.
We’ve written about them in past years, but former Falcons cornerback and returner DeAngelo Hall and safety Eugene Robinson also make the list. Do you think any of these Falcons greats make it to Canton?
<img alt="Carolina Panthers v Atlanta Falcons" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9X2Xn1F2DW41JOwx45k3nwKgoSw=/0x0:3246x2164/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73593917/1192744037.0.jpg">
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Want to remember some legends with us? The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced 167 nominees for its incoming 2025 class, and as you’d expect, there are some familiar Atlanta Falcons greats who made that list.
Is this the year a deserving John Abraham and Warrick Dunn get the nod? Let’s recap the list.
WR Roddy White
No list of Falcons great is complete without White, one of the team’s legends and a legendary Saints hater. White was in some ways quickly overshadowed by fellow great Julio Jones, who overlapped with him and then broke several of his franchise records, but Roddy is second in yards and receptions all-time in franchise history and still has the record for receiving touchdowns. Roddy is also 43rd in NFL history for yardage, 40th in receptions, and and tied for 76th in touchdowns after spending his entire career with the Falcons.
He seems unlikely to make it to Canton, but he’s a Falcons all-timer and a member of the Ring of Honor.
DE John Abraham
Another franchise legend and a player with a reasonable shot of making the Hall of Fame, Abe terrorized quarterbacks for over a decade with the Jets, Falcons, and Cardinals.
Abraham’s resume is often overlooked despite being one of the most disruptive players of his era, as he’s third all-time in forced fumbles in NFL history (tied with Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney) and depending on whether you use unofficial or official sack totals, either 18th or 13th in league history in sacks. He’s either second or first in team history for sacks, too, depending on whether you use Claude Humphrey’s fantastic total, and is first in forced fumbles and second in quarterback hits behind Grady Jarrett, who just passed him.
Abe is one of the great pass rushers in league history, in other words, and should be honored as such.
RB Warrick Dunn
He feels like a player who will always be a borderline Canton case, which is too bad given that he’s one of the great backs in Falcons and league history. He’s 23rd in league history in rushing yardage and tied for 89th in rushing touchdowns, but he’s also had over 500 receptions and is in the top 20 all-time for running back receiving yardage as a true dual threat out of the backfield for the Buccaneers and Falcons. He’s also fourth in Falcons rushing yardage and seventh in touchdowns, and is a Hall of Fame human being who has built countless houses for families who need them.
LB Keith Brooking
A polarizing player in his day, Brooking is third in team history in terms of tackles, sixth in tackles for a loss, and a mighty productive defender for the Falcons and Cowboys. His coverage lapse in the 2008 playoffs will forever be held against him by fans, but that overlooks that he was a consistently high-end defender who made five consecutive Pro Bowls in Atlanta as the centerpiece of their defense.
I don’t think he makes the Hall of Fame, but he’s one of the better defenders in team history, regardless.
We’ve written about them in past years, but former Falcons cornerback and returner DeAngelo Hall and safety Eugene Robinson also make the list. Do you think any of these Falcons greats make it to Canton?
Link to original article
