Under new head coach Kevin Stefanski, the Atlanta Falcons have gotten off to a fast start building their coaching staff. The Falcons already have a few assistants set to follow Stefanski from Cleveland, but the most important development is Jeff Ulbrich officially being retained as defensive coordinator.
While the 43-year-old is expected to shake up the offensive staff, Ulbrich being back means there won't be as much coaching turnover on the defensive side. Jordan Schultz reported that the Falcons are expected to retain most defensive assistants, but there's been external interest in some coaches.
The expectation is that Jeff Ulbrich will retain most of his staff from last year, but some have garnered outside interest including DL coach Nate Ollie, who, in his first year, saw the team record 57 sacks, second most in the NFL.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 19, 2026
The year prior, he was in Houston, where the… https://t.co/vJYLP3a3E4 pic.twitter.com/DWLb0wN6aM
The one name Schultz mentioned is DL coach Nate Ollie, who was expected to garner interest for his work turning around this pass rush. Ollie may not be approaching defensive coordinator territory just yet, but other teams will want to poach Ollie for the same coaching role he serves in Atlanta currently.
Falcons are expected to retain most of their defensive staff with Jeff Ulbrich returning, but they're not out of the woods just yet
Given how much their defense improved from 2024, the Dirty Birds should have been expecting their defensive coaches to receive interest. This doesn't mean any of them will take it, but I doubt Stefanski is bringing any of his own defensive coaches over when Jim Schwartz is likely to stay in Cleveland.
Ollie has started to quickly rise up the coaching ranks, and the 34-year-old is one of the most valued assistants in Atlanta. Before landing with the Falcons, he was in Houston, where he coached Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson, and enjoyed stints in Philadelphia, New York, and Indianapolis beforehand.
In addition to Hunter and Anderson, he coached players like Quinnen Williams, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and DeForest Bucker, so it's not like his developmental track record is a flash in the pan, but his work with Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. helped ignite a dormant Atlanta pass-rush in 2025.
The Falcons' 57 sacks this season ranked second in the NFL (only behind the Broncos), which also marked a franchise record. It also helped them finish inside the top 10 in both interceptions, forced fumbles, and takeaways on the year, as Atlanta finally has elite pass-rushers for the first time in years.
Pearce led the team with 10.5 sacks and cemented himself as a DROY favorite, while Walker (and Brandon Dorlus) also shined. It was bold to invest this much into the defensive line, which worked out largely due to Ollie's impact, so now that Ulbrich is returning, he should be the next coach in line.
In addition to Ollie, coaches who could receive interest are Jerry Gray (AHC), Barrett Ruud (ILB's), and Jacquies Smith (OLB's), but hopefully they're all able to return in 2026.