West Atlanta News

The Atlanta Falcons have appointed Jeff Ulbrich as their new defensive coordinator after a thorough search involving seven candidates. This decision follows the dismissal of former coordinator Jimmy Lake on January 11, after just one year with the team.

Ulbrich returns to the Falcons after spending four seasons with the New York Jets. He initially served as their defensive coordinator for three seasons and started the 2024 season in that role. However, he was promoted to interim head coach following Robert Saleh's firing five games into the season.

A former NFL linebacker, Ulbrich was previously part of the Falcons' coaching staff from 2015 to 2019 under Dan Quinn. During this period, he worked alongside current Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who had joined Atlanta at the same time. Morris transitioned from working with the offense to becoming the team's defensive coordinator before being named interim head coach in 2020. It was then that Ulbrich was first named defensive coordinator for the remainder of that season.

Together, Morris and Ulbrich collaborated on creating defensive strategies for the Falcons, sharing responsibilities for play-calling during different downs. Their professional relationship was strong, with mutual respect evident when Ulbrich endorsed Morris as a potential head coach at the end of 2020.

"In this day and age, this current player's culture in the NFL, there's not a better candidate in my opinion," said Ulbrich about Morris at that time. "You have to have the ability to relate to the current player."

After leaving Atlanta post-2020 along with Quinn's staff members, Morris became a defensive coordinator for Los Angeles Rams while Ulbrich joined New York Jets. His initial season there saw struggles as they ranked last in points and yards allowed per game but improved significantly over subsequent years.

In his return to Atlanta now armed with more experience than before — including interim head coaching duties — it remains uncertain whether he can transform an inconsistent defense ranked 23rd overall last year into something more formidable.