The running consensus around the league is that the Atlanta Falcons could be in the hunt for a new defensive coordinator after the season, and it's not because their defense has been but, but quite the contrary, as Jeff Ulbrich has the Falcons near the top of the NFL in almost every defensive statistic.
Despite not having Jalon Walker or James Pearce Jr., the Falcons are leading the NFL in pressures, they boast the league's best run defense, and he's got the most out of a shorthanded unit. So of course, his success has seen buzz surface about Brich getting head coaching buzz this offseason.
I see it. You see it. We all see it. And even ESPN's Dan Graziano penciled Ulbrich in as a rising coordinator who could get those HC looks this offseason, even mentioning his short stint as the interim head coach of the New York Jets from 2024 in his argument to give him an extended look.
"Atlanta is a fun story in the early going, and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich is getting love around the league for the job he's doing with a unit that's short-handed up front," Graziano wrote. "He finished the 2024 season as the Jets' interim head coach. That obviously didn't go well, but Ulbrich is extremely well-liked and respected around the league and could get looks if the Falcons have a big season."
While it remains to be seen whether or into Ulbrich would be so quick to make such a major life change and leave Atlanta after the unfortunate passing of his wife, some opportunities are too good to pass up--and in this business, you don't know when coaching buzz like this will come around again.
But the good news for Matt Ryan is that for as good a job Ulbrich has done, he's not irreplaceable. They should be just as scared of losing DL coach Nate Ollie to a DC job (especially if he follows Ulbrich to his next destination), but they could use the opportunity to reunite with Dan Quinn.
If Jeff Ulbrich leaves, the Falcons must consider bringing back Dan Quinn
Quinn, who is currently the head coach of the Washington Commanders, is finding himself on the hot seat, especially after his dismal clock management was the reason the Commanders tied the New York Giants instead of beating them in overtime. Washington didn't try to throw the ball away quickly or spike it. He just let the clock run to zero.
And given the Commanders are sitting at 1-3-1 and are last in the NFC East, it seems that they could look to pursue a change. He led them to a 12-5 record and an NFC Championship appearance in his first season at the helm, but they went 5-12 last year and it looks like that 2024 finish was a fluke.
While Quinn is a less-than-ideal head coach (as evidenced by his game management yesterday), he's still a quality defensive coordinator. He was one of the engineers of the Legion of Boom, and more recently turned around a Dallas Cowboys defense that has struggled since his departure.
And this doesn't even account for the most important aspect of this: his history with the Dirty Birds. Ulbrich worked under Quinn for five seasons (2015-2020), and their defensive system derives from the same tree as both of their schemes award physicality and prefer to send just four pass-rushers.
Moreover, the 56-year-old coached Ryan during his MVP season in 2016 where Atlanta went to the Super Bowl. You all know the lore of how this ended. We don't have to go over the rest. But this new regime has preferred to hire coaches whom they share a vision with or have past connections with.
The idea of a former head coach returning to the place they coached as a coordinator feels weird, but it does happen in the modern NFL, Vance Joseph did it with the Denver Broncos, and he's one of the better coordinators in the nation--and since he's already failed as a head coach, they wouldn't run the risk of him leaving for another HC job. It's almost like the defensive equivalent of Josh McDaniels.
While the Falcons would much prefer to not lose Jeff Ulbrich, it remains a real possibility, and given Dan Quinn would be a hot commodity on the DC market if/when he gets canned, this reunion would theoretically make sense for both sides if they decide to explore it.
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