Who has been interviewed, and where might the Falcons go next?
The Atlanta Falcons fired defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake last weekend, canning the first-time NFL coordinator after the team’s defensive collapse played a major role in their missed opportunity to make the playoffs and embarrassing loss to the Panthers to ensure another losing record.
Raheem Morris was expected to look for a more experienced candidate and go with one he was familiar with, which instantly made interim Jets head coach (and former Falcons interim defensive coordinator) Jeff Ulbrich and longtime NFL defensive coordinator and summer practice visitor Steve Wilks obvious favorites. As expected, the team has interviewed both candidates, but they’ve cast a wider net that includes coaches Morris hasn’t worked directly with (Wink Martindale, Lou Anarumo) and less experienced options that we didn’t expect (Derrick Ansley, Grady Brown).
While we wait to see when this search wraps up and who else the team might interview, here’s a tracker to help you stay up to speed on what’s happening. Their previous and current (if applicable) NFL experience is in parentheses.
Interviewed candidates
- Steve Wilks (Former Cardinals head coach, Panthers interim head coach, Panthers, 49ers & Browns defensive coordinator)
- Jeff Ulbrich (Jets interim head coach, former Jets defensive coordinator, former Falcons linebackers coach and interim defensive coordinator, former assistant special teams coordinator for Seahawks)
- Lou Anarumo (Former Bengals defensive coordinator, former Dolphins interim defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, former Giants defensive backs coach)
- Derrick Ansley (Packers passing game coordinator, former Chargers defensive coordinator, former Raiders and Chargers defensive backs coach)
- Wink Martindale (Michigan defensive coordinator, former Giants, Ravens, and Broncos defensive coordinator, former Ravens, Broncos, and Raiders linebackers coach)
- Grady Brown (Steelers secondary coach)
What makes the job appealing?
When Raheem Morris was hired, we heard a lot from the likes of Dan Quinn, Sean McVay, and his players that he was a joy to work with, so Morris himself is likely part of the appeal. Having a legendary leader in Grady Jarrett on the roster (we hope) and a handful of tremendous players like Jessie Bates, A.J. Terrell, and Kaden Elliss and several interesting young pieces like Ruke Orhorhoro, Troy Andersen, and Arnold Ebiketie figures to be appealing.
Otherwise, if you’re looking for a place to implement a vision and potentially help pick out the groceries, Atlanta’s the spot for you.
What are the challenges?
On the whole, this is not a good defense. The team still lacks any elite pass rushers—Elliss is pretty damn great considering his position and role, but isn’t quite at that level—and has maybe two players you’d consider to be in that tier overall in Terrell and Bates. Everyone else is aging, a question mark, or just plain young.
The Falcons currently lack cap space for a rebuild on this side of the ball, have just a handful of draft picks to work with, and will likely need to cut or trade some useful older players to free up that space. You’re almost certainly going to need to do more with less talent in 2025 if you’re hired as Atlanta’s defensive coordinator.
Oh, and Morris naturally has his own ideas of how the defense should run, though we don’t know how committed to those he’ll be with a new coordinator.