The Atlanta Falcons' coaching staff just suffered their first major loss of the winter as Mike Rutenberg is leaving to become the next defensive coordinator of the Browns. If the trade-off was Rutenberg for Kevin Stefanski, I'll take that every time, even though losing a key defensive assistant does sting a bit.
With that in mind, the 44-year-old is the first assistant that Jeff Ulbrich's staff truly has to replace, as they willingly let OLBs coach Jacquies Smith walk. And just like Smith, the answer to the Falcons' prayers can come from within. And we're not talking about the heart, but a likely internal promotion.
The Dirty Birds promoted John Timu to OLBs coach, but they could also promote someone to replace Rutenberg, who was only in Atlanta for a season. That man is secondary coach Justin Hood, who has spent the last two seasons coaching one of the more productive secondaries in the NFL.
The Falcons can't let Justin Hood leave the building after Mike Rutenberg's surprise departure
The Falcons already blocked the San Francisco 49ers' request to interview him for the same role on Raheem Morris' defensive staff, so they want to keep him. And now they can do exactly that by adding the defensive pass game coordinator title to his nameplate to give him a well-deserved promotion.
Before his last two seasons with the Falcons, the 39-year-old was a defensive quality control coach for the Packers and had some smaller college opportunities. Hood has been a rapid riser through the coaching ranks, but has also deserved it for all he's managed to accomplish with a mere average unit.
A.J. Terrell was elite long before Hood ever came to town, but his work with Mike Hughes in 2024 and Dee Alford and Billy Bowman Jr. in 2025 is something to take note of. Hughes and Alford broke out basically out of nowhere, while Bowman was solid in his rookie year before his season was cut short.
Alford will cash in in free agency and Hughes' career was basically on the ropes before being traded to Atlanta, so Hood deserves some major props. Then there's the safety duo of Jessie Bates III and Xavier Watts, who were among the most productive safety duos in all of football this past season.
They combined for eight of the team's 16 interceptions, and having them patrol the backend helped take pressure off of a cornerback room that isn't the most talented in the NFL. They'll likely to add to the CB room in some way this offseason, which will give Hood another young talent to help develop.
Hood is one of the brightest assistants on Ulbrich's defensive staff, so if promoting him to Rutenberg's old role is the price to pay to keep in in Atlanta, it's well worth paying.