Since Mike Rutenberg left the Atlanta Falcons to accept the Cleveland Browns' defensive coordinator job, the biggest question mark surrounding Kevin Stefanski's new staff in Atlanta was who would replace him. And by the looks of it, we finally have our answer, and it'll probably take you by surprise.
Instead of promoting Justin Hood like most of the fanbase expected, Jeff Ulbrich pivoted to a more experienced coach for the position. CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reported that the Falcons are hiring short-lived Ole Miss defensive coordinator Patrick Toney to be their new defensive pass game coordinator.
The 35-year-old is heralded as a bright, young coach in coaching circles, so even though he doesn't have the experience of his predecessor, it's a good hire since he has expensive in both the NFL and college. And unlike Rutenberg, he doesn't come with any prior ties to Ulbrich, which is interesting.
The Falcons are hiring Patrick Toney to be their new defensive passing game coordinator
Toney spent the last two years as the DB coach with the Arizona Cardinals, but took the Rebels' DC job upon Pete Golding's promotion to head coach. He was also the defensive coordinator at Louisiana and Florida's co-DC under Billy Napier before joining Jonathan Gannon's defensive staff.
This means that across the last three seasons in Arizona, he has coached a plethora of promising young defensive backs. That list includes highly-drafted players such as Will Johnson, Denzel Burke, Max Melton, and Garrett Williams, all of whom have been adequately developed these last few years.
Even the safety duo of Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson and vets like Sean Murphy-Bunting contributed to a respectable secondary group, even if it was never near the top of the NFL. And he also has some defensive play-calling experience, so he can help a young Atlanta pass defense a lot.
Under Toney's tutelage, the Cardinals ranked 24th in pass defense in 2025, but they ranked 14th in 2024 and 13th in 2023. That's not too shabby, especially since their drop-off was aided by injuries to Johnson, Wiliams and Melton, which isn't a coaching issue. By the looks of it, this is a pretty solid hire.
This is the first major change to Ulbrich's defensive staff in 2025, and while losing Rutenberg stings, landing Toney as a replacement is as good as it gets. He may not be a future defensive coordinator like Rutey, but he all he needs to do is help stabilize a unit in dire need of stability around A.J. Terrell.
Hopefully he and Hood can do more good with the young talent in this DB room, especially if they add to the position in the 2026 NFL Draft.