FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — After hiring Kevin Stefanski as the franchise’s next head coach over the weekend, the Atlanta Falcons have retained Jeff Ulbrich as their defensive coordinator.
This comes after owner Arthur Blank said in his end-of-season press conference that while he wouldn’t dictate to a new head coach who to have on his coaching staff, he would recommend Ulbrich remain in Atlanta.
“Jeff Ulbrich, in my view, he did a really fine job for us this year,” Blank said. “Certainly look at the record of sacks. And just the overall performance of defense was definitely better than it’s been in the past.”
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Ulbrich agreed to the terms of a new three-year deal.
Ulbrich returned to the Falcons in 2025 after four seasons with the New York Jets. Working as Robert Saleh’s defensive coordinator, Ulbrich took over as interim head coach in the aftermath of Saleh’s release in October 2024. This is Ulbrich’s second stint with the Falcons, having been the team’s linebackers coach from 2015-19, prior to becoming the interim defensive coordinator following the release of Dan Quinn as head coach and the promotion of Raheem Morris to interim.
The return of Ulbrich was felt immediately amongst the defensive ranks, both internally and externally. With a clear coaching philosophy in place and an attack style of play implemented, the Falcons’ defense saw its production, particularly in pass rush, skyrocket from the year prior.
“I think he’s a heck of a coach,” inside linebacker Josh Woods said the day after the Falcons’ 2025 season ended. “He created a heck of a culture that I hope you guys can see on the field. He developed a true connection with each and every one of the guys.”
Under Ulbrich, the Falcons went from ranking second-to-last in the league in sacks in 2024 to second overall in 2025. The unit broke a single-season franchise sack record with 57 total by the season’s end. What’s more, the Falcons did this by committee, with 14 different players recording at least one sack in 2025, which tied for the most in the NFL.
“I felt like late in the season we really caught a groove,” veteran safety Jessie Bates III said. “We really had a good feel about what Brich was calling, how we wanted to disguise things and I think it showed up. That’s why we got the sack record.
The 2025 season was highlighted by the inclusion of rookies Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr., Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. into prominent roles, along with the rapid growth and development of second-year defensive linemen Brandon Dorlus and Ruke Orhorhoro.
Pearce’s team-leading 10.5 sacks were the most by a rookie since Micah Parsons in 2021, and are second in franchise history as Claude Humphreys stands as the single-season rookie sack leader with 11.5. Watts — a starter since Week 1 — also contributed significantly in his rookie year, finishing the season with five interceptions. Because of Pearce and Watts’ contributions, the Falcons became just the second team in NFL history to have two rookies with 10-plus sacks and five-plus interceptions. Pearce and Watts both received Defensive Rookie of the Month honors in their first seasons.
The defense as a whole finished sixth in the league with 16 interceptions and seventh with 23 total takeaways. The safety duo of Watts and Bates led the way with eight interceptions, tied for the second-most interceptions by any safety duo across the league.
Players like A.J. Terrell and Kaden Elliss continued to be main contributors for the unit under Ulbrich as well. Terrell forced tight-window throws on 35.5% of his targets in coverage this season, which ranked him No. 4 overall among defenders targeted at least 50 times. Elliss finished second in the league among linebackers with 30 pressures and was one of two players in the NFL (Tyrel Dodson) with 100-plus tackles, 10-plus tackles for loss, 3.5-plus sacks and an interception in 2025.
Another highlight, however, was the free agent signing of inside linebacker Divine Deablo, whose versatility paid dividends in Ulbrich’s system. Along with being a team-leader in tackles, Deablo also played a role in coverage. He had seven pass breakups despite missing a month of the season with a forearm injury.
Though there is still work to be done within Atlanta’s defense — Ulbrich would be the first to say so — the foundation established in 2025 is one of significant hope for what’s to come with a young core ready to take their game to the next level. A level that Ulbrich will be leading them to find.
