The Atlanta Falcons have struck gold in hiring Jeff Ulbrich to be their new defensive coordinator, and his success has quickly been reflected on the stat sheet. However, one of Ulbrich's biggest victories in Atlanta was bringing new defensive coordinator Nate Ollie to town—who has quietly helped transform this young Falcons' defensive line.
Before being hired by the Dirty Birds, Ollie served as the assistant defensive line coach for the Houston Texans, where he worked with star pass-rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. He has been able to able to tap into that experience while working with James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker, and the results have been felt.
While Atlanta leads the NFL in pass defense, it's Ollie's work with the defensive front that paid dividends. Both first-round rookies enjoyed the best games of their career in Week 4 against the Commanders, and they'll be key X-Factors against the Bills on Monday Night Football.
Nate Ollie has been the unsung hero for the 2025 Atlanta Falcons
While Falcons brass has been quick to praise assistant head coach Jerry Gray, it's Ollie who's had a bigger impact on the defense. He was one of the key coaching shakeups Ulbrich made when he returned to Atlanta, and it hasn't taken fans long to notice a glaring difference.
Prior to his time in Houston, Ollie has spent time in Indianapolis, New York, and Philadelphia—where he coached players such as DeForest Buckner, Brandon Graham, and Fletcher Cox to Pro Bowl seasons.
And it's that wealth of experience that has seen Atlanta's pass rush look the best it has in years. Atlanta brought in Pearce, Walker, and Leonard Floyd this offseason, and the transition to younger pass-rushers is something that's been long overdue in The A.
The improvement hasn't just been felt off the edge, though. The improvement hasn't just been felt off the edge, though. Both Brandon Dorlus and Zach Harrison are enjoying breakout seasons, while 2024 second-rounder Ruke Orhorhoro's eight pressures are fourth on the team—only behind Pearce, Floyd, and Harrison.
Together, this defensive front is finally living up to its potential, and while much of the credit goes to Ulbrich's scheme change, Ollie deserves his flowers for getting the most out of versatile talent of the plethora of talent on the Falcons' defensive line.
This is the same unit that could look to be an X-Factor in January if Atlanta's long playoff drought is snapped—and he could soon be looked at for DC jobs if this performance continues.