The Atlanta Falcons' coaching staff under Kevin Stefanski is starting to come together, which is mainly due to all of the ties to his former coaches in Cleveland. He already brought Tommy Rees and Bill Callahan with him, and now he's bringing on another assistant with ties to his Browns days.
The biggest question mark fans still had about the Falcons' coaching staff is who would take over as quarterbacks coach, especially after DJ Williams left for Washington. And we finally have our answer, as the team hired Alex Van Pelt, who is a longtime collaborator of Stefanski's to coach the QB room.
The Falcons are hiring Alex Van Pelt as their quarterbacks coach, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 31, 2026
Another reunion with Kevin Stefanski, who had Van Pelt as his offensive coordinator in Cleveland from 2020-23. pic.twitter.com/xcpVk54vud
Van Pelt was Stefanski's offensive coordinator in Cleveland from 2020 until 2023, but was fired after their playoff loss, and also spent a season as the OC in New England, where he coached Drake Maye, but Mike Vrabel didn't retain him. He also 2025 as a senior offensive assistant with the LA Rams.
Kevin Stefanski's decision to hire Alex Van Pelt as QB's coach is great news for Michael Penix Jr.
A lot of people expected Bill Musgrave to follow Stefanski as the QBs coach, but this is honestly a better scenario for the Dirty Birds. The 43-year-old chose to go with the coach with the better track record, but don't be surprised if Musgrave joins the offensive staff in some capacity down the line.
The 55-year-old doesn't feel like the most glamorous hire, but the move makes a lot og sense. Stefanski's main priority is molding Michael Penix Jr. into a franchise QB, so bringing in a coach with experience working with guys like Drake Maye, Matthew Stafford, and Aaron Rodgers is a good sign.
In addition to adding QBs coach to his title his final season in Cleveland 55-year-old has coached quarterbacks in Buffalo, Green Bay, Tampa Bay, and Cincinnati. Coincidentally, his stint in Tampa Bay was under ex-Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, which unsurprisingly ended in disaster.
Alex Van Pelt's total offense ranks by season as an OC
- 2024: 31st
- 2023: 16th
- 2022: 18th
- 2021: 14th
- 2020: 16th
Aside from that 2024 season, his track record is pretty stellar. Maye didn't make his first NFL start until mid-October, so he was stuck calling an offense for Jacoby Brissett. And once he did get out there, he didn't have much talent to work with, but did a solid job actually helping to develop him.
Obviously he's in the Super Bowl now with Josh McDaniel calling plays for him, but he showed early flashes under Van Pelt. He also worked with Andy Dalton, Matthew Stafford, and Baker Mayfield, so it's pretty clear what the two-time Coach of the Year was attempting to build with this hire.
Rees is the young, innovative mind Penix can relate to easily, Stefanski is the QB guru, and now Van Pelt has experience he can teach the young QB. The support system is better for him than it ever was under the previous regime, so the 25-year-old can easily silence the doubters this season.