While the Atlanta Falcons have made changes to the head coaching position, new head coach Kevin Stefanski is looking to keep his defensive staff as much as possible. Jeff Ulbrich will remain the team’s defensive coordinator, and they blocked the 49ers from interviewing Justin Hood who works in the secondary.
Stefanski is the offensive mastermind that the Falcons brought in to clean up the inconsistency on offense. On the other side, the Falcons’ defense was solid and that’s why they are looking to keep a little bit of continuity.
While coaching is important, it’s also important to have the right players on the field that can deliver results. Whether they stand out on the stat sheet or not, each team looks for players that are super impactful and no one outside of the fanbases knows about.
As for the Falcons, they have one key defensive player that is set to hit free agency and they need to really consider bringing him back to provide stability on the defensive line in Stefanski’s first season as the head coach.
Falcons must strongly consider brining back David Onyemata
Bradley Locker from Pro Football Focus (PFF) listed all of the pending free agents who had the best graded season from PFF in 2025, and DT David Onyemata was listed for Atlanta.
"The 33-year-old posted a 78.2 overall PFF grade in his third season with the Falcons, with run defense being his strong suit. Among qualified interior defenders, Onyemata ranked eighth in PFF run-defense grade (74.2) and missed just 3.6% of his tackles against the ground."Bradley Locker, PFF
Onyemata finished with 62 total tackles and 1 sack in 2025, making him one of Atlanta’s best run stoppers this season. Atlanta was one of those teams where they either dominated or didn't show up on the field. They allowed 126 yards on the ground per game, but it wasn't the worst. The one thing that we can say is that they were better when Onyemata was on the field.
I believe that it would take more than just a simple salary for the Falcons to bring Onyemata back to Atlanta, but never say never. At the same time, who knows if the Falcons want to bring him back at all.