ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons have officially named Jeff Ulbrich as their new defensive coordinator, returning him to the team where he previously served as an assistant coach. This announcement was made on Saturday night. Ulbrich, who recently held the position of interim head coach for the New York Jets, steps in to improve a defense that faced criticism for its performance during the Falcons’ 8-9 season, as pointed out by first-year head coach Raheem Morris, following the firing of former coordinator Jimmy Lake just a week prior.
Under Lake’s leadership, the Falcons’ defense finished the season ranked 23rd overall in total defense and points allowed, notably struggling to secure sacks, which placed them at the bottom of the league through the first nine games. Although the defense showed some improvement towards the end of the season, it was not sufficient to avert the team from experiencing their seventh consecutive losing season.
The Falcons conducted an interview with Ulbrich on Wednesday, shortly following the dismissal of Lake along with defensive line coach Jay Rodgers. In his time as interim head coach for the Jets, Ulbrich led the team to a 3-9 record after Robert Saleh was let go. Moreover, just before his hiring, he had interviewed for the Jets’ permanent head coaching position earlier in the week. Between 2015 and 2020, Ulbrich held various roles with the Falcons, including that of linebackers coach and assistant head coach. He was also briefly promoted to interim defensive coordinator during the final stretch of 2020 under Morris’s temporary head coaching tenure.
The timing of Ulbrich’s hiring coincided with the Falcons completing a whirlwind week of interviews that also included a discussion with former Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus. Throughout this rapid search process, the team has reached out to several candidates, including former San Francisco defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, Grady Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Derrick Ansley, who serves as the passing game coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, former Cincinnati assistant Lou Anarumo, and Wink Martindale from Michigan.
