New general manager Ian Cunningham hasn't taken long to make his imprint on the Atlanta Falcons' revamped front office. He didn't take long to make it clear that he'll be a stark contrast from Terry Fontenot, but is still in the process of building out the front office to cater to both his and Kevin Stefanski's vision.
It's clear he's trying to rid the organization of all ties to the Fontenot era, as aside from promoting Tumbo Abanikanda, Cunningham let both Kyle Smith and Ryan Pace go. And now, he may have just made his biggest hire as Atlanta's GM by bringing in Sean Heinlen as his director of college scouting.
The Falcons have hired Shawn Heinlen as director of college scouting.
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) February 18, 2026
Heinlen isn't a major household name in NFL circles, but his experience will be a major benefit to a first-year GM. He has 27 seasons of experience under his belt, primarily as a scout in the southwest, but he has worked with both Cunningham and Stefanski before, which makes this hire make sense.
Falcons are hiring an old friend of Kevin Stefanski and Ian Cunningham, Sean Heinlen, as director of college scouting
Beyond the clear connection to both halves of the Falcons' new leadership, Heinlen has a lot to offer the Dirty Birds. He joined the Buffalo Bills in 1999 and after rising through the ranks with some smaller executive jobs, became an area scout for the Bills in 2003, a position he assumed for nearly 15 years.
From there, he worked with the Senior Bowl, but his next destination is more important. Starting in 2018, Heinlen spent four seasons as a southwest area scout with the Philadelphia Eagles, seasons which overlapped with Cunningham's time as a top lieutenant under Howie Roseman in Philadelphia.
In 2022, he left the Eagles for a job the Cleveland Browns, where Heinlen reunited with ex-Eagles colleague (and Browns' GM) Andrew Berry. He spent the last four seasons as a southwest area scout in Cleveland, which is where his career overlapped with Stefanski before they reunited once again.
Given he's worked with both Stefanski and Cunningham before, hiring Heinlen shouldn't be much of a surprise. The two-time Coach of the Year has already brought several assistants with him to Atlanta, while the first-time GM has been rumored to bring ex-Jets GM Joe Douglas with him for the Falcons.
Heinlen is not the splash hire many may have expected, but knowing the MO of Stefanski and Cunningham, it doesn't get more promising than the clear vision they have in place.