West Atlanta News

The Atlanta Falcons have announced the promotion of two coaches within their offensive staff. T.J. Yates has been promoted from quarterbacks coach to pass game coordinator, while D.J. Williams will take on the role of full-time quarterbacks coach after serving as an offensive assistant and assistant quarterbacks coach last season. Both will continue working under offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.

In the 2024 season, the Falcons' quarterback lineup featured veteran Kirk Cousins and rookie Michael Penix Jr. Cousins played in 14 games, achieving a completion rate of 66.9% with an average of 250.6 yards per game, throwing for 19 touchdowns but also leading the league with 16 interceptions. Penix completed 58% of his passes, averaging 246 yards per game in his three starts at the end of the year, with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Together, Cousins and Penix contributed to making the Falcons the fifth-ranked passing offense with a total of 4,068 yards but ranked No. 20 in touchdowns and No. 29 in interceptions by season's end.

Yates joined Atlanta in 2021 as a passing game specialist before coaching wide receivers from 2022-23 and focusing solely on quarterbacks last season. Prior to his time with the Falcons, he was an assistant quarterback coach for the Houston Texans between 2019-20.

Williams came to Atlanta last season after working as an offensive assistant for the New Orleans Saints from 2019-23. Although he did not play professionally in the NFL, Williams was a quarterback at Grambling State University and is notably connected to football history through his father Doug Williams—an executive with Washington Commanders who made history as the first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl during Super Bowl XXII.