Our staff breaks down the Jeff Ulbrich hire.
The Falcons have once again opted to bring home an old friend instead of an outside hire to coordinate Atlanta’s defense, and the feelings about this, understandably, are mixed.
Ulbrich was a promising linebackers coach during his previous stint in Atlanta, one who earned enough trust from the team to be named an assistant head coach, and after Dan Quinn was fired, he became the team’s interim defensive coordinator. He’s gained more experience since then after spending the past four years as the Jets’ defensive coordinator and then the Jets’ interim head coach after moving on from Robert Saleh.
But there were undoubtedly more exciting, fresh names on the market who don’t have a history with the Falcons, and many fans are understandably not amped about it. Below our writers share our thoughts about the hire and what it means for the Falcons, and we invite you to share yours in the comment section.
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It doesn’t matter who the DC is without an infusion of talent
I know the team culture and environment are crucial to head coach Raheem Morris, and I know Ulbrich fits that culture. That plus Ulbrich’s experience since leaving Atlanta following the 2020 season are the reasons I’m low-key excited about the hire.
But there’s an elephant in the room, and it’s unfortunately an elephant who can’t rush the passer. The Falcons defense needs more talent, full stop. They have some solid pieces to build around: Grady Jarrett, obviously; Jessie Bates has two more years on his deal, and AJ Terrell is locked up through the 2028 season. But they need more, and acquiring players who can consistently get pressure on opposing QBs has to be a priority this offseason.
I feel like we’ve all been beating this particular drum since the team moved on from John Abraham, and I don’t think any defensive coordinator can be particularly successful in Atlanta without effectively addressing that longstanding need. – Jeanna Kelley
Jeff Ulbrich is here to execute Raheem Morris’s vision
Ulbrich’s familiarity is a double-edged sword. A retread is rarely an inspirational hire, and this one doesn’t break the pattern. At the same time, communication is the most essential quality right now for Raheem’s defensive coordinator. Jimmy Lake is no longer here because he could not execute the vision he and Morris collaborated on going into the season. Ulbrich has never been an architect, but he’s been a good project manager at different points in his career, providing real value to his superiors.
Lake’s inability to perform stretched Morris thin and led to him calling plays and taking a more significant role on the defensive side of the ball. This was not the role Morris was hired for, and it wasn’t how he envisioned his time being spent. Ulbrich has a proven relationship with the head coach and a coaching resume superior to Jimmy Lake’s, but that’s not saying much. Ulbrich has been a good soldier since he enlisted in the NFL. He’s a man that does things the right way and expects his players to do the same. However, he’s always been guided by another defensive mind that composes the scheme.
Ulbrich’s play calling history is being slightly oversold. While it is documented that he had the play calling responsibilities in New York, those responsibilities were not exclusive, and it was routinely documented how involved Saleh was on that side of the ball. This would explain the massive drop in defensive play when Saleh was excused and that collaboration was lost. Ulbrich added something to the formula: it would be unfair to give all the credit to Saleh, but his success comes in an environment where he has someone else to work with. This is the relationship Morris likely wanted with Lake, but the former defensive coordinator wasn’t bringing anything to the table–Ulbrich is someone with a resume that shows he can. While assisted by coaching, the Jets defense has been led by superior talent (which is the case with most elite defenses), and talent is the biggest issue facing this Falcons defense. If Fontenot doesn’t give the staff pieces to work with, it doesn’t matter who calls plays. – Tre’Shon Diaz
Jeff Ulbrich lacks an identity as a defensive play-caller
Ulbrich is a familiar face who had a lot of success as a play-caller with the Jets, but this hire barely moves the needle for the Falcons, mainly due to the lack of a defensive identity that he brings to the table. The other four experienced defensive coordinator candidates the Falcons interviewed, Lou Anarumo, Wink Martindale, Steve Wilks, and Matt Eberflus, all have established philosophies and identities for their defense. Ulbrich doesn’t.
Despite four years in New York, those defenses had a distinct “Robert Saleh flavor” to them, considering how closely they aligned with Saleh’s previous defenses with the San Francisco 49ers. Ulbrich did an excellent job executing Saleh’s vision over the past four years, but what exactly is Ulbrich’s vision? Does he believe in blitzing or rushing with four? What are his preferred coverages? Man or zone? That utter lack of identity means that the Falcons’ defensive identity will remain defined by head coach Raheem Morris. This is certainly Morris’s goal as to why he chose Ulbrich over others. Their stint working together as coordinators throughout 2019 and 2020 makes Ulbrich more proven than Jimmy Lake in executing Morris’ vision. But it’s still the same, albeit slightly more worn path the team went down this past year. Will the Falcons get better results this time?
That will heavily depend on the team investing significant resources via the draft and free agency this offseason in upgrading their defensive roster. If anything, adding Ulbrich makes this requirement even more apparent. The Jets sported the NFL’s worst defense in 2021 during Ulbrich’s first year there. Yet, they saw a massive turnaround in 2022 thanks to the offseason additions of Sauce Gardner, Jermaine Johnson, D.J. Reed, and Jordan Whitehead and getting key contributors like Carl Lawson and Lamarcus Joyner back from injuries. If general manager Terry Fontenot adds comparable difference-makers this offseason, that will move the needle far more than this hire. – Aaron Freeman
Trust underpins the Jeff Ulbrich hire
Aaron and Tre’Shon said it well above: Jeff Ulbrich is not bringing some sort of radically different overarching vision for this defense, the way a Wink Martindale or Lou Anarumo might have. What he is bringing is a track record, not just of solid work as the Jets defensive coordinator but of a surprisingly stout year with Raheem Morris back in 2020. When both men were thrust into larger roles in an unhappy year, Morris saw firsthand what Ulbrich could do running a defense.
But we have to remember that he also saw and appreciated that in 2019, when Ulbrich and Morris split play calling duties—kind of an absurd arrangement—and it led to improvement over Dan Quinn running the defense himself. Morris would like to be the executive-style head coach who oversees everything and motivates everyone, but it’s fair to wonder if his dip into the defense post-bye last year to help out a flailing Jimmy Lake played a role in his saggy game management over that stretch. With Ulbrich, Morris gets a coach who is familiar with his preferences on defense and a seasoned coordinator who will handle that side of the ball without a lot of babysitting from the head coach, something Morris clearly hoped he could get (and ultimately did not) from Lake.
If the Falcons can upgrade the defense’s talent level, Ulbrich will likely prove to be a competent hire who gets far better results than his predecessor. Morris is clearly trusting him to be major upgrade no matter what, and it’s fair to balk at that given Ulbrich’s uneven results in 2021 and 2024, when the talent level on the Jets defense dipped and motivation was lacking post-Robert Saleh firing. That level of trust is what Morris thrives on, and for those of us outside the building, the trust that it will work is obviously a work in progress. —Dave Choate
Jeff Ulbrich is an upgrade over Jimmy Lake, but is he too familiar?
To preface everything, I do think Jeff Ulbrich is a good, respected coach. He also has a number of impressive years with the Jets on his resume—although how much credit he deserves versus head coach Robert Saleh is a tough question to answer. I think Ulbrich is a clear upgrade over Jimmy Lake, but by how much? Does he move the needle?
Ulbrich was a very good linebackers coach, and I think that’s where we’re likely to see the biggest jump in performance. I’d also expect Atlanta to go after a smaller, speedier linebacker like they preferred in the Dan Quinn years to complement what they have in Kaden Elliss. But the last remaining domino to fall might be the most important one: who will be the Falcons’ defensive line coach? Atlanta already interviewed Nate Ollie from the Texans, and I’d be surprised if they didn’t bring in Aaron Whitecotton from the Jets as well. That hire might say a lot about the direction of the front, as Ollie has more of a 3-4 background versus 4-3 for Whitecotton.
Ultimately, that distinction might not matter a whole lot, because Atlanta is likely to be one of the most nickel-heavy defenses in the NFL. That’s something Morris really emphasized in 2024 and I doubt it changes too much. Bigger than that, I just wonder if what this coaching staff really needed was a shakeup: an outside perspective to come in and shine a new light on the existing strengths and weaknesses of the defense. Ulbrich is a fresh face to this roster, but part of me worries the familiarity with Morris could be a double-edged sword.
Relationships are everything in the professional world, and Morris seems to value his extremely highly. Only time will tell if that’s a plus or minus for his tenure as Falcons head coach. —Kevin Knight