FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — After an extensive search for the organization’s next defensive coordinator, the Atlanta Falcons have hired Jeff Ulbrich to take over as play-caller for the unit.
This news comes after the Falcons interviewed seven candidates throughout the week, following the firing of former defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake on Jan. 11 after one year with the team.
Ulbrich returns to Atlanta after four seasons with the New York Jets. He spent the first three seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator and began the 2024 campaign in the same role. However, Ulbrich was named interim head coach after Robert Saleh was fired from that position five games into the season.
A former NFL linebacker for 10 seasons, Ulbrich was the Falcons’ linebackers coach on Dan Quinn’s staff from 2015-19. He was part of the same staff as current Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who also arrived in Atlanta in 2015. Morris spent four of his years under Quinn working with the offense, but he was named the team’s defensive coordinator before the 2020 season. When the Falcons parted ways with Quinn a month into the 2020 season, Morris was promoted to interim head coach. He then named Ulbrich defensive coordinator for the remaining 11 games of that season — a move that foreshadowed this current decision.
Together, Ulbrich and Morris worked hand-in-hand creating defensive game plans for the Falcons. At the time, Ulbrich called plays for the early downs, while Morris handled late downs. The two had a very solid working relationship at the time. They respected each other and, when the 2020 season came to a close, Ulbrich used his final media availability to endorse Morris as a head coach.
“In this day and age, this current player’s culture in the NFL, there’s not a better candidate in my opinion,” Ulbrich said of Morris on the last day of 2020. “You have to have the ability to relate to the current player. You have to have the ability to create an environment for the current player that is not necessarily built in the old NFL world, in my opinion, for these kids to thrive. They’re just not raised the same way, football is not played the same way. He’s one of those rare guys that has that ability to create the environment that’s necessary.”
The Falcons did not retain any Quinn’s staff beyond the 2020 season, Morris and Ulbrich included. When Morris went to the Los Angeles Rams to be their defensive coordinator, Ulbrich went up the East Coast to New York.
His first season with the Jets — and first time as a full-time defensive play caller — wasn’t much to write home about. New York ended the season ranked last in both points and yards allowed per game. The unit was second to last in turnovers forced.
A year later, though, production significantly increased with the Jets ranking fourth in points and yards allowed per game as well fourth in defensive EPA, per TruMedia. By 2023, the Jets were still maintaining good numbers, sitting at third in yards, 12th in points allowed per game and finishing second in defensive EPA.
When Ulbrich became the Jets’ interim in Week 6 of the 2024 season, he leaned on Morris for support and spoke with the Falcons’ head coach in the lead-up to his first game in the top role.
Ulbrich now heads back south to reunite with an old colleague and friend with more experience under his belt. Time will tell if he can take an Atlanta defense that ranked 23rd in the league in total defense in 2024 and turn them into a more consistent and impactful group.
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