There is no assistant coach on this Atlanta Falcons coaching staff who is more intregral to their success than Jeff Ulbrich. There's a reason he's virtually the only existing coach who was retained on Atlanta's staff when Kevin Stefanski replaced Raheem Morris as head coach earlier this offseason.
Falcons fans know their team boasts one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL in Ulbrich. He turned around this Atlanta defense overnight in 2025, undoing the many mistakes Jimmy Lake while running the defense. Which is why it's no surprise to see him get awarded for his accomplishments.
Ulbrich was a coaching recipient for the NFL's accelerator program, which is set to take place this week in Orlando. The accelerator program typically invites people who they think have a future as a head coach or a general manager, which could be in the cards for Coach Brich sooner than we think.
Jeff Ulbrich could leave the Falcons to become a head coach in the future
Ulbrich was listed in addition to some of the brightest names in head coaching circles, including many assistants who received head coaching interviews this offseason. So instead of having the opportunity to block his interviews for a lateral move, the Dirty Birds are at real risk of losing him.
Some of the other coaching recipients of the accelerator program:
- Jaguars OC Grant Udinski
- Dolphins OC Mike McDaniel
- Rams OC Nathan Scheelhaase
- Seahawks DC Aden Durde
- Vikings QB coach Josh McCown
- Cowboys OC Klayton Adams
These are guys who made some serious waves during the last coaching carousel. Both Scheelhaase and Udinski have all the makings of future head coaches (and nearly become one in 2026), Mike McDaniel will get another shot soon, while Durde interviewed for the Falcons' head coaching job .
The 49-year-old has been floated as a potential head coaching candidate in the past, but he's never gotten buzz like this. He went 3-9 as the interim head coach of the Jets in 2024 after Robert Saleh was fired,, but his work as a defensive coordinator is something that teams must consider.
There's no problem with starting off as an interim coach. Dan Campbell's only head coaching experience prior to being hired by the Detroit Lions was as an interim coach. He took over for the Miami Dolphins after Joe Philbin was fired, and has since become one of the league's best coaches.
It's scary to think about a situation where Ulbrich leaves the Falcons and brings Nate Ollie along with him as his DC. Losing him and having to find a new DC to tap into the potential of this young defense would be a nightmare scenario, but it's a nightmare we may have to prepare for soon.