If there's anything that Atlanta Falcons fans have learned this week, it's that Kevin Stefanski moves quickly. He hasn't been the head coach in Atlanta for a week yet and he already has both his offensive and defensive coordinator in place, while the rest of the coaching staff is beginning to take shape.
There was never a doubt that Tommy Rees would follow Stefanski to join his coaching staff with the Falcons, and the same could be said for keeping Jeff Ulbrich. However, it didn't stop the 43-year-old from conducting other interviews before making the hire of one of his top Browns' assistants official.
In the wake of the Rees hire and the departures of Zac Robinson and TJ Yates to Tampa Bay, Stefanski made a quick point to retain two other assistant coaches for the offensive staff, and one key assistant for Ulbrich's defensive staff, which isn't expected to see much turnover this offseason.
In addition to hiring Tommy Rees, the Falcons are keeping senior defensive assistant Dave Huxtable, assistant OL coach Nick Jones and RB coach Michael Pitre and hiring Jacqueline Roberts as manager of coaching operations.
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) January 22, 2026
- Senior defensive assistant Dave Huxtable
- Assistant OL coach Nick Jones
- RB coach Michael Pitre
The Dirty Birds are keeping these three coaches on staff, but they're also hiring Jacqueline Roberts as the manager of coaching operations. A lot of these moves may not seem groundbreaking, but all of this is built to ensure that the 43-year-old can instill his vision with his new team.
Kevin Stefanski announces Falcons are retaining multiple assistant coaches, while hiring multiple others
Pitre will now be entering his fifth season and third different head coach as the Falcons' running back coach. Since 2022, the Falcons have gained the fifth-most rushing yards in the NFL and the 41-year-old coached Bijan Robinson into arguably the best back in the NFL, so this was the correct decision.
Roberts was the coordinator of coaching logistics for the Browns in 2025, which was her first full-time coaching role. She has also assisted with coaching operations at the Senior Bowl, and have badly needed someone in a coaching oversight role like this, especially with her ties to Stefanski.
Huxtable was another coach who Falcons fans are excited to keep. He was hired in 2023 when Ryan Nielsen was defensive coordinator, and has spent time working with the defensive front, especially the outside linebackers. The 69-year-old also has decades of DC experience, which is beneficial in working with a young defense.
Even though the Falcons aren't bringing back Dwayne Ledford, they are bringing back Nick Jones. He came over to serve the same role in Atlanta when Zac Robinson was hired as OC, and the news they're retaining him means there's one assistant he won't be able to bring with him to Tampa Bay.
Now that these moves have been made, the one name Falcons fans are hoping to see the two-time Coach of the Year find a way to keep is DL coach Nate Ollie, but Jerry Gray, Barrett Ruud, and Jacquies Smith are among the defensive assistants who Stefanski should also push to retain.
The Falcons are off to a great start in the hiring process, but there's still a long way to go.