A case can be made that the biggest offseason move by the Falcons was the Jan. 18 hiring of defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
The Falcons executed an exhaustive search that included old- and new-school options in Steve Wilks, Lou Anarumo, Matt Eberflus, Grady Brown, Don “Wink” Martindale and Derrick Ansley.
To move forward, the Falcons needed a new direction on defense after firing Jimmy Lake after one season.
Ulbrich is charged with improving a revamped unit. The Falcons added four defenders in the NFL draft, including two first-round picks, and signed a significant veteran free agent in Leonard Floyd.
When the Falcons report for training camp July 23, Ulbrich will start the work to get things turned around. His coaching career includes five-plus seasons on coach Dan Quinn’s Falcons staff from 2015-20.
Before breaking for the NFL’s version of summer break, Ulbrich was confident with the status of the roster heading into training camp. Cornerback A.J. Terrell, safety Jessie Bates, linebacker Kaden Elliss and outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie return as key performers.
“I feel great about the guys that we had prior to the draft,” Ulbrich said. “(During Organized Team Activities) was my first real interaction with these guys, and the DNA of that group is right. They’re eager to learn, they want to be challenged, they want to be pushed.”
In a bid to improve the anemic pass rush — the Falcons ranked next-to-last in the NFL with 31 sacks last season — the Falcons drafted Jalon Walker with the 15th overall pick and traded back into the first round to select James Pearce Jr. with the 26th pick. Safeties Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. were chosen in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.
After the installation of the defense over the offseason, Ulbrich will bring the new blended concepts together.
“I think they all recognize and acknowledge we (have) a lot of work to do, but we’ve got a committed group that’s built in the right way,” Ulbrich said. “It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be hard, it’s going to be challenging. There’s going to be really hard days, but I’m excited to get started with these guys.”
After playing 10 seasons (2000-09) at linebacker in the NFL, Ulbrich became a coach. (He played in 120 games and made 75 starts). He started as an assistant special teams coach with Seattle (2010-11).
He was the linebackers coach and special-teams coordinator from 2012-14 at UCLA before joining the Falcons the following season. His stint at UCLA was particularly impressive, as he helped to develop three future NFL linebackers in Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks and Myles Jack. All went on to play more than 100 games in the NFL.
Barr, who went to four Pro Bowls, was selected in the first round by the Vikings in 2014. Kendricks finished his career as UCLA’s leading career tackler and was drafted in the second round in 2015. Jack was taken in the second round in 2016.
Ulbrich’s next stop was with the Falcons. He helped to develop linebackers Deion Jones, De’Vondre Campbell, Foye Oluokun and Mykal Walker. What was notable is that Campbell, Oluokun and Walker were mid-round draft picks.
Jones, taken in the second round, started as a rookie and helped the Falcons reach the Super Bowl following the 2016 season. He was named to the Pro Bowl his second season, but never returned to a high level of play after suffering a foot injury in the 2018 season opener.
Campbell went on to become an All-Pro in 2021 with the Packers, while Oluokun, a sixth-round pick from Yale, led the league in tackles twice, in 2021 with the Falcons (192 tackles) and in 2022 with the Jaguars (186 tackles).
The Falcons hope Ulbrich can duplicate that developmental success with Walker and Pearce.
After Quinn was fired, Ulbrich joined coach Robert Saleh’s staff with the Jets for the 2021 season, where he remained for four seasons. He finished last season as the interim coach after Saleh was fired.
Ulbrich’s first defense with the Jets in 2021 finished last in the NFL in points and yards allowed. The Jets jumped to fourth in yards and points allowed in 2022. They finished 12th in points and third in yards allowed in 2023 and 20th in points and third in yards allowed in 2024.
His New York experience has shaped Ulbrich’s outlook, which helped lead to the selection of Jalon Walker and Pearce.
“I want people (who) don’t ride the fence,” Ulbrich said. “I want you to tell me you like it like this or like it like (that). I want decisions, and then I’ll make a decision at that point. You’d obviously have to ask (general manager) Terry (Fontenot) and (Morris), but like I felt like I was more convicted and there was no fence-riding. This is the vision. I either want them or I don’t. Hopefully, that clarity helped everybody.”
AJC columnist Ken Sugiura contributed to this article.
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