The Atlanta Falcons made moves to continue reshaping their staff of defensive coaches on Friday by naming Mike Rutenberg as defensive pass game coordinator and Nate Ollie as defensive line coach. The moves come six days after Jeff Ulbrich,

The Atlanta Falcons have hired former New York Jets defensive coordinator and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich as their defensive coordinator, the team announced Saturday night. The Falcons interviewed seven candidates for the job, but Ulbrich always was considered the favorite because of his relationship with Falcons head coach Raheem Morris.

The Falcons fired defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and defensive line coach Jay Rodgers after an underwhelming season in Atlanta. The defense finished 23rd in points allowed and 23rd in total yards, while ranking 31st in total sacks last season.

The defense was heavily criticized by first-year Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris after the Falcons ended the season with back-to-back overtime losses (with a combined 74 points allowed). Morris was the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator for three seasons before taking over in Atlanta last January.

Jeff Ulbrich is returning to the Atlanta Falcons as defensive coordinator, the team announced Saturday night. Ulbrich was the New York Jets' defensive coordinator over the past four seasons and served as interim head coach for the final 12 games of the 2024 season.

The Houston Texans already are replacing three offensive coaches. Now, they’ll have to replace one on the defensive side. The Atlanta Falcons officially hired assistant defensive line coach Nate Ollie as their new defensive line coach,