After the Atlanta Falcons hired Kevin Stefanski, it saw the futures of multiple top assistants in Atlanta come into question. One of those coaches is OL coach and run game coordinator Dwayne Ledford, who is regarded as one of the best OL coaches in the league currently for his work with the Falcons.
Despite surviving the regime change from Arthur Smith to Raheem Morris, Ledford wanted to stay with a new coaching staff, but Stefanski chose to go another direction. After was announced that Bill Callahan would be following him to Atlanta, it was inevitable, but the Dirty Birds just made it official.
The #Falcons will not be retaining OL coach Dwayne Ledford, per a source. Ledford, highly regarded for his work in Atlanta, is expected to have multiple suitors for his services.
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) January 19, 2026
However, even though he won't be back, the 49-year-old won't be unemployed for long. In all likelihood, Ledford will be one of the more sought-after offensive assistants available, as several teams could look to bring him in to turn around the OL just like he's done over the last few seasons.
Dwayne Ledford officially won't be returning to the Falcons next season
It's a bittersweet feeling to see Stefanski let Ledford walk, but it's understandable. Callahan is a Hall of Fame-caliber OL coach. He's coached 14 different offensive linemen to Pro Bowls, including Zack Martin, Tyron Smith, Trent Williams, and the late Nick Mangold, which is a pretty stellar track record.
Additionally, the 69-year-old took those 14 OL to 35 Pro Bowls between them, and has rebuilt multiple different units from the ground up. Unlike Ledford, who trusted smaller, more versatile linemen, Callahan prefers bigger, more physical players in the trenches and is big on technique.
Ledford was the mastermind behind one of the NFL's best rushing attacks in 2025, so he'll receive plenty of interest from other teams. Ledford was developing practice squad guys and journeymen into productive starters, which helped Bijan Robinson lead the league in scrimmage yards this year.
Chris Lindstrom is a player who developed into a superstar under Lindstrom's tutelage, and he even helped guys like Matthew Bergeron and Kaleb McGary take a leap. He turned Elijah Wilkinson into a viable starter with McGary out for the year, and the team felt comfortable letting Drew Dalman walk in free agency because of their confidence in Ledford to develop Ryan Neuzil.
He is not the flashiest name on the coaching staff, but it's not hard to see why Falcons fans wanted him back. Instead, they upgraded in one of the only ways you possibly can at the position because of Stefanski's connection to Callahan, but Ledford will definitely thrive elsewhere.