The Atlanta Falcons want a brand new defensive coordinator, and we don’t but know who they’re contemplating for the opening. What we do know is that there are worthwhile candidates on the market, with a number of coaches who would seemingly be an improve over Jimmy Lake’s 2024 at minimal.
I received’t attempt to cowl each attainable identify right here, however listed below are 4 sensible candidates for the job and a handful of others who is perhaps in play however are strongly tied to different groups, don’t have the observe document of success, or just appear unrealistic. Hopefully, we’ll begin getting information about interviews this week.
Jeff Ulbrich
It needs to be apparent by now that Raheem Morris, like Dan Quinn earlier than him, likes to convey aboard coaches he’s acquainted and cozy with. It’s why he introduced Jimmy Lake over from the Rams within the first place—they shared not only a Rams employees, but in addition a Buccaneers employees when Lake was the secondary coach and Morris was the top coach—and it’s why I feel Ulbrich will likely be strongly thought-about.
Ulbrich was the linebackers coach for Atlanta for 5 seasons, overlapping on the employees with Quinn and Morris, earlier than changing into the assistant head coach in 2020 and finally the defensive coordinator beneath Morris as an interim. He then joined the Jets, the place his defenses completed because the third-stingiest unit by way of yards three years working and fourth in his first yr, with one prime ten scoring end in addition to a yr in twelfth and two straight years (2023 and 2024) in twentieth. As a well-regarded coach leaguewide and by Jets brass, Ulbrich was promoted to the interim head coach for the Jets after they fired Robert Saleh, the place he led them to a 3-9 document.
As a seasoned choice with a historical past of teaching up linebackers—he additionally had a ten yr profession as one—and with a robust relationship with Morris, Ulbrich needs to be thought-about the moment the Jets rent their subsequent head coach. Ulbrich’s work bettering the moribund Falcons protection in 2020 and his work with the Jets suggests he’s a superb choice, and his ties to Morris make him a favourite. I wouldn’t anticipate a dramatic overhaul of the way in which the Falcons do enterprise on protection if he’s the selection—Ulbrich’s defenses have favored zone, rotated closely up entrance, and blitzed pretty sparingly, which is able to sound acquainted—however he’s nearly assured to have the protection taking part in at a greater baseline than Lake.
Steve Wilks
Wilks stopped by Falcons follow repeatedly over the summer time, and Morris and the Falcons labored towards him for a number of years when he was the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach (and later defenisve coordinator) for the Carolina Panthers from 2015-2017. Given these visits and that familiarity, and on condition that Wilks is in search of a job, he’s a pure candidate to tie to this opening.
Wilks the defensive coordinator has gotten strong outcomes all through his profession, however Wilks the coach is somebody I’ve a whole lot of respect for. He one way or the other dragged the listless, 1-4 Panthers from 1-4 beneath Matt Rhule to a 6-6 document the remainder of the way in which as an interim head coach, instilling toughness and competency the place it had been missing. His work with a dreadful Cardinals staff in 2018, the place he mainly had no shot and was swiftly fired after a 3-13 document however bought one thing out of a depleted protection, was admirable given the hand he was dealt. And Wilks had the 2017 Panthers and 2023 49ers as prime 10 defenses by way of yardage and scoring, though San Francisco swiftly fired him after a disappointing Tremendous Bowl loss. In all places he’s gone, Wilks has finished high quality work regardless of typically tough circumstances and quick leashes.
Wilks’ inventory seemingly went up after his substitute in San Francisco presided over a a lot worse protection; keep in mind that Wilks was canned for his protection going from #1 beneath DeMeco Ryans to merely prime 5. Like Ulbrich, Wilks’ observe document doesn’t recommend he’s going to raise this unit to anyplace close to elite by teaching acumen alone, however he’s an skilled, succesful coach who looks like a digital lock to get extra out of what Atlanta has.
Lou Anarumo
The previous Bengals defensive coordinator was as soon as a sizzling identify for a head teaching gig, however the Atlanta native noticed his inventory fall after a terrific 2022 and was unceremoniously dumped by Cincinnati this offseason.
If the story of Wilks’ profession is that his alternatives by no means appeared to final so long as his acumen advised they need to, the story of Anarumo’s profession over the previous couple of seasons has been making an attempt to make hen salad out of the least appetizing byproduct of the hen. The Bengals let DJ Reader and Jessie Bates stroll, have failed time and again so as to add expertise through the draft, and have a blended observe document with their restricted free agent {dollars}. Whereas the offense is loaded with expertise, the protection has not been, and Anarumo more and more couldn’t make up for that.
What recommends Anarumo is his notable adaptability and creativity, with the coach incomes a “Mad Scientist” nickname from Bengals gamers due to his willingness to tinker and attempt to create confusion by disguising every part he can. The truth that he’s not married to a particular entrance or particular kind of protection on a regular basis makes him an intriguing chance for a protection that’s going to proceed to be mild on expertise at some spots—the Falcons have restricted assets this offseason, bear in mind—and has Kaden Elliss as a chess piece Anarumo would seemingly take pleasure in using. The Falcons seemingly want to create slightly chaos to raise this unit.
The tie right here to Morris isn’t as clear and clear as “he coached with him” or “he coached instantly towards him on a number of events.” As a substitute, Anarumo may include a suggestion from Jessie Bates, the all-world security who began his profession in Cincinnati and performed 4 of his first 5 seasons with him. If Bates is prepared to endorse him, I’d must think about that will carry some weight; what ought to carry extra weight is the ingenious teaching.
Dennis Allen
Hear me out. Allen truly started his teaching profession within the NFL with Atlanta, serving as an assistant from 2002-2005, and is the son of former Falcon Grady Allen. He has now proven himself to be a lackluster head coach at a two completely different stops, one gamers appear to run over, however his work as a defensive coordinator has been rather more spectacular.
With the Saints, Allen endured a few tough years with a talent-starved Saints roster—want it had stayed that approach—however then rattled off seven straight years as a coordinator and head coach with a prime 16 scoring protection, and had only one yr the place the Saints completed outdoors the highest 16 in yardage. For 3 seasons working from 2020 to 2022, they had been prime ten in each regardless of shedding items on a reasonably common foundation owing to the staff’s yearly cap crunch. Allen will get the job finished with a whole lot of 4 man rushes and stunts, and it’s price noting that Kaden Elliss took off as a cross speeding choice in Allen’s scheme earlier than becoming a member of the Falcons.
Morris is aware of Allen from teaching towards him, and Allen is aware of David Onyemata and Elliss properly after each gamers blossomed on his New Orleans protection. Terry Fontenot additionally labored with Allen with the Saints.
Different potentialities
Robert Saleh
I’d think about Saleh a prime candidate for this job if I believed he was headed anyplace however a head teaching gig or a defensive coordinator gig in San Francisco, the place the 49ers protection has been in sluggish movement decline and badly wants a coach acquainted with the staff and scheme to raise it up. Saleh has finished glorious work with the 49ers and Jets protection over the course of his profession and is a gradual, good coach who would give the Falcons expertise and competence they lacked in 2024. If for some cause the 49ers pivot away from him and doesn’t land the Raiders or Jaguars job, I’d urge the Falcons to get it finished.
Brandon Staley
As soon as a sizzling identify in teaching circles, Staley’s ugly run because the Chargers head coach took a whole lot of shine off of him. He did run the league’s finest protection in 2020 for the Rams and is kind of acquainted with the tenets of the protection Raheem Morris and firm wish to run, and appears to be a type of coaches who most likely tops out as a top quality coordinator and never a head coach. Between the lackluster yr for the 49ers protection he was simply an assistant on and the Chargers work, Staley is not any lock to get coordinator curiosity in Atlanta or elsewhere in 2025, although.
Sean Desai
He spent final yr as a senior assistant with the Rams, and entrance workplace mainstay Ryan Tempo is aware of him properly from their shared days with the Bears. Desai’s one yr as Bears defensive coordinator in 2021 noticed him preside over an impressively stingy protection by way of the air, however his stint with the Eagles began sturdy and have become a catastrophe after he was changed by a equally ineffective Matt Patricia 13 weeks by way of the season, with the staff citing a stretch of tough weeks and reporting popping out a few insecurity from the defensive coordinator.
Desai was a well-regarded defensive coach not all that way back and may carry a suggestion from Sean McVay after spending the yr with the Rams, however his outcomes and expertise should not precisely stellar.
Jerry Grey
An in-house candidate. Grey final ran an NFL protection in 2013, when he piloted the Titans to a top-half-of-the-league end, however has intensive teaching expertise and has labored intently with this protection over the previous two years beneath two completely different coordinators.
Ryan Nielsen
The Falcons didn’t hold Nielsen round and his Jaguars protection this previous yr was iffy, and that plus the truth that Nielsen runs his protection in a different way than Morris and firm choose to seemingly means he received’t be a critical candidate right here. The work he did with that 2023 Falcons protection, although, speaks for itself after this yr.
